Burdock root tea is very good for you, you want to harvest the first year roots in the mid July to end of July when they are around an inch to inch and half in size and about 12 to 16 inches long.  I will do a post on them when the timing is right

Today however we are going to talk about making fresh Burdock Leaf Tea for both pleasure drinking and for tonic use.  My measurements are simple. 1.5 oz of fresh chopped leaf per 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, take off heat and let steep for 10 min, strain, and serve with a touch of honey for sweeter if you want.  If you make a big batch, add to your jar and allow to cool a bit and into the fridge for storage.

As with all new plants, try a little and see if anything happens, wait 24 hours and then try again. ONLY once you are sure you can safely use this plant, can you drink up to three cups a day for ten days as a spring tonic before taking a rest break of a week and repeat if you would like.

There are more reports of things on the net then you can shake a stick at, and I am not going to quote them.. just google and you will find all kinds of things.. what I will say is this..  this is a medical plant and it should be treated as one.

Now comes the important part of this post.. picking leaves for your tea 🙂 On the left in this picture is a nice small from the very middle of the plant second year plant leaf, it’s twice the thickness of the first year leaf on the right..  please! remember to use only first year plant leaves for your teas. I made sure to pick a leaf from a one year plant at the same size an stage.. you can easily see the difference between them.

This was the whole first year plants leaves, I took the whole plant, I trimmed off the stems and then rolled and cut the leaves before measuring them out and adding the water to the pot, I like to make sure I use a steel pot when I am making my tea’s and for me fresh well water.

I find the taste pleasant, others report it to have bitter undertones but I don’t find it much so.. if an issue, mix in some mint or nettle to the pot to create a better flavour profile if you would like 🙂