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Herbs & Supplements

Beggar’s Buttons
Scientific Name: Burdock
Other Names: Arctium Radix, Arctium lappa, Arctium minus, Bardana, Beggar's Buttons, Clotbur, Gobo, Personata, Thorny Burr

References

Anon: Burdock. In: DerMarderosian A, Beutler JA, eds. Facts and Comparisons: The Review of Natural Products. St. Louis, MO, Facts and Comparisons. December 1996.

Anon. Common Burdock. In: A Guide to Weeds in British Columbia, First Edition. British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The Province of British Columbia; 2002.

Awale S, Lu J, Kalauni SK, et al. Identification of arctigenin as an antitumor agent having the ability to eliminate the tolerance of cancer cells to nutrient starvation. Cancer Research. 2006;66(3):1751-1757.

Burgmans J. Burdock: an Asian/European herb. New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Limited. Updated April 1996. Available at: http://www.crop.cri.nz/psp/broadshe/burdock.htm. Accessed September 3, 2003.

Cheung S, Lim KT, Tai J. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of ESSIAC and Flor-Essence. Oncology Report. 2005;14(5):1345-1350.

Fletcher GF, Cantwell JD. Burdock root tea poisoning [letter]. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1978;240(15):1586.

Gentil M, Pereira JV, Sousa YT, et al. In vitro evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Arctium lappa as a phytotherapeutic agent used in intracanal dressings. Phytotherapy Research. 2006;20(3):184-186.

Hirono I, Mori H, Kato K, Ushimaru Y, Kato T, Haga M. Safety examination of some edible plants, Part 2. Journal of Environmental Pathology and Toxicology. 1978;1(1):71-74.

Holetz FB, Pessini GL, Sanches NR, Cortez DA, Nakamura CV, Filho BP. Screening of some plants used in the Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2002;97(7):1027-1031.

Jellin JM, Gregory P, Batz F, Hitchens K, et al, eds. Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's Letter. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 3rd Edition. Stockton CA: Therapeutic Research Facility, 2000.

Leonard SS, Keil D, Mehlman T, Proper S, Shi X, Harris GK. Essiac tea: scavenging of reactive oxygen species and effects on DNA damage. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2006;103(2):288-296.

Li D, Kim JM, Jin Z, Zhou J. Prebiotic effectiveness of inulin extracted from edible burdock. Anaerobe. 2008;14(1):29-34.

Lin SC, Chung TC, Lin CC, Ueng TH, Lin YH, Lin SY, Wang LY. Hepatoprotective effects of Arctium lappa on carbon tetrachloride- and acetaminophen-induced liver damage. American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2000;28(2):163-173.

Lin SC, Lin CH, Lin CC, Lin YH, Chen CF, Chen IC, Wang LY. Hepatoprotective effects of Arctium lappa Linne on liver injuries induced by chronic ethanol consumption and potentiated by carbon tetrachloride. Journal of Biomedical Science. 2002;9(5):401-409.

Lin CC, Lu JM, Yang JJ, Chuang SC, Ujiie T. Anti-inflammatory and radical scavenge effects of Arctium lappa. American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 1996;24(2):127-137.

Matsumoto T, Hosono-Nishiyama K, Yamada H. Antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of butyrolactone lignans from Arctium lappa on leukemic cells. Planta Medica. 2006;72(3):276-278.

MedLine Plus. Essiac. September 1, 2005. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-essiac.html. Accessed June 8, 2006.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Online Edition. Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's Letter. Stockton CA: Therapeutic Research Facility, 2006. Available at: http://www.pharmacistsletter.com/(S(ulqz3s45omt3ag55um4kj345))/home.aspx?li=1&st=1&cs=&s=ND.

Pereira JV, Bergamo DC, Pereira JO, Franca Sde C, Pietro RC, Silva-Sousa YT. Antimicrobial activity of Arctium lappa constituents against microorganisms commonly found in endodontic infections. Brazilian Dental Journal. 2005;16(3):192-196.

Rhoads PM, Tong TG, Banner W Jr, Anderson R. Anticholinergic poisonings associated with commercial burdock root tea. Journal of Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology. 1984-85;22(6):581-584.

Zick SM, Sen A, Feng Y, Green J, Olatunde S, Boon H. Trial of Essiac to ascertain its effect in women with breast cancer (TEA-BC). Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine. 2006;12(10):971-980.

Last Revised July 16, 2008

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Note: The above information is not intended to replace the advice of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not meant to indicate that the use of the product is safe, appropriate, or effective for you.

In general, herbal products are not subject to review or approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are not required to be standardized, meaning that the amounts of active ingredients or contaminants they contain may vary between brands or between different batches of the same brand. Not all of the risks, side effects, or interactions associated with the use of herbal products are known because few reliable studies of their use in humans have been done.

This information is provided for your education only. Please share this information with your healthcare provider and be sure that you talk to your doctor and pharmacist about all the prescription and non-prescription medicines you take before you begin to use any herbal product.

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References