We’re not so keen on multitasking here at drinkingjapan.org, but we do like things that can serve multiple purposes. This does not, however, include electrical appliances, mind you: the more complex the machine, the shorter the life span. So don’t even consider that electric popcorn maker cum juicer with the built in TV and fax machine this Christmas. Got it?
Burdock (a.k.a., Arctium lappa, gobo [in Japanese], and beggar’s buttons) is the Swiss Army knife of plants and is one of our favorite members of the plant kingdom, or whatever it is you call that, anyway. It can be eaten and makes an especially good tempura. When brewed, it can produce a flavorsome non-grain beer with earthy notes. And it served as the inspiration for Velcro, an invention that I am sure all of you shoelace challenged readers out there love dearly. Furthermore, who could resist loving a plant called “beggar’s buttons”?
But burdock is also a medicinal plant. “Burdock has a long history of use in traditional medicine in both Europe and China: a tea from the root is used as a ‘blood purifier’ and to treat gout, rheumatism, and liver and kidney ailments….”1
In next week’s entry, we will look at burdock tea.
1Tredici, Peter del, “Herbaecous Dicots,” Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide (Cornell University Press).
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