Burdock Root 860 mg, and What It Is Honestly For
Burdock root helps support everyday digestion and skin in the way it has been taken traditionally for a very long time, and this is 860 mg of Arctium lappa root in a two-capsule serving. From NOW Foods, quality tested in the United States, in a bottle of 100 vegetable capsules.
Burdock is one of those herbs with a very long history and a very short evidence file, so the useful thing we can do is tell you exactly where its reputation comes from, exactly what the capsule contains, and exactly who should leave it alone. There is also one genuine reason to care which brand you buy, which is unusual for a herb and worth knowing before you order from anybody.
What Two Capsules Give You
- Burdock root 860 mg — Arctium lappa, the root, in two vegetable capsules. That is the serving the manufacturer intends, and a bottle holds 50 of them.
- Nothing else of substance — the only other ingredients are the hypromellose capsule shell and a little stearic acid from a vegetable source. No filler, no binder, no colour.
- Vegetarian and vegan — a cellulose capsule rather than gelatin, which puts it on a short list in our catalogue.
- Free of the eleven major allergens — yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and sesame.
Where Burdock’s Reputation Comes From
Burdock root has been used for centuries in European, Chinese and Japanese practice, and in Japan it is simply food: gobo, a root vegetable eaten braised or in salads, which tells you something reassuring about how ordinary it is.
Its traditional reputation is for digestion, for the skin, and as what older herbals call a cleansing or alterative herb. That history is real and worth describing. What goes with it is an honest account of the evidence, which remains thin: burdock holds no authorised health claim, and neither does any other botanical in this framework. We would rather say that plainly than dress it up, and the same position applies to our dandelion root extract, which belongs to the same plant family and carries the same traditional reputation for much the same reasons. If it is the traditional diuretic reputation you are after rather than the digestive one, a cherry and nettle tea is the other herb on our shelf with that history, and nettle is where it properly belongs.
The Inulin Question, and the Arithmetic
You will see burdock sold as a prebiotic, because the root genuinely does contain inulin, a fermentable fibre that feeds the bacteria in your large intestine. That part is true, and it is the most substantiated thing about burdock.
The arithmetic is where it becomes interesting. The authorised claim for inulin — that it helps maintain normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency — requires 12 g of it a day. This product’s own supplement facts panel states under 1 g of total carbohydrate per serving, and inulin is only part of that. So a serving holds, at the very most, a twelfth of what the claim asks for, and realistically a good deal less. We set this out because a figure settles the question better than an adjective: if prebiotic fibre is what you want, you want it by the gram and we will happily point you at something that supplies it that way.
Why the Brand Matters More on This Herb Than on Most
Here is the one thing about burdock that we think everybody selling it ought to say out loud, and almost nobody does.
Burdock root looks a great deal like the root of deadly nightshade, and in the late 1970s a series of poisonings in the United States were traced to commercial burdock root tea that turned out to contain belladonna root instead. The cases were written up in a medical journal at the time and reported by public health authorities, and reviews of herbal contamination still use burdock as the standard example. Nobody was growing anything sinister; roots were simply gathered and mixed up.
Which is why, on this particular herb, a manufacturer who identity-tests the raw material is worth paying for. NOW Foods state that their ingredients are quality tested in their own United States laboratories, and on burdock that is a safety feature rather than marketing. It is also the honest answer to anyone wondering why a bottle of a common root costs what it does, and the reason we stock this one rather than the cheapest available.
What It Costs You a Day
A bottle holds 50 servings, so at the intended two capsules a day it runs a little under two months, which works out at roughly 47 shillings a day. That sits in the middle of our shelf — dearer than the vitamins, far cheaper than the dandelion extract — and for a tested botanical rather than a bulk-bagged one it is reasonable.
How to Take It
Two capsules daily with food. Food matters here, both because it is gentler and because the inulin in the root is fermented in the large intestine, so arriving alongside a meal gives your gut a smoother time of it. Start with one capsule a day for the first week if your digestion is sensitive, then move to two.
What Is in the Capsule
Burdock root (Arctium lappa) 860 mg per 2-capsule serving. Other ingredients: hypromellose, which is the cellulose capsule, and stearic acid from a vegetable source. Free of yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and sesame. Made in a GMP facility and quality tested in the United States. One hundred vegetable capsules, 50 servings a bottle.
Is Burdock Root Right for You?
- If you react to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, echinacea or chamomile, avoid it. Burdock is in the same plant family, the Asteraceae, and cross-reactivity between them is well recognised. This is the same caution that applies to our dandelion, and it is the most common reason somebody should not take either.
- If you take medicine for diabetes, speak to our pharmacist first. Burdock may lower blood glucose, which sounds helpful and is a problem when it stacks on top of a medicine already doing the same thing. Your dose may need watching rather than your herb changing.
- If you take a diuretic, warfarin or another blood thinner, check with us before you start. Burdock’s traditional use includes a diuretic effect, and there are reasonable grounds for caution alongside anticoagulants.
- If you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding, leave it alone. Burdock has a traditional reputation as a uterine stimulant and there is no safety data to set against that. This is a clear avoid rather than a conversation.
- Adults only, and tell us what else you take. For children we would not use this at all, and if you are on several medicines our doctor is the right person to look at the whole list.
Storing It
Keep the bottle closed in a cool dry place after opening, away from sunlight, and out of reach of children.
Where to Buy Burdock Root in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At 2 capsules a day a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A herbal capsule taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your Burdock Root from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will read you the full list of people who should avoid it, check it against your diabetes medicines and any diuretic or blood thinner you take, flag the ragweed and chamomile cross-reactivity before you pay, and explain plainly which of the five claims on the old page we were able to keep. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is burdock root actually taken for?
Traditionally, for digestion and for the skin, and in older herbals as a cleansing or alterative herb. In Japan the root is eaten as a vegetable called gobo, which is a useful reminder of how ordinary a food it is. What we will not tell you is that any of those uses has been demonstrated in clinical trials, because burdock holds no authorised health claim and neither does any other botanical in this framework.
Does burdock root detox the body or cleanse the blood?
No, and we would rather answer that plainly than sell you something on it. Detoxification is not a recognised physiological function that a supplement can claim to perform. Your liver and your kidneys clear things from your blood continuously and do not need a product to start them doing it. If you are worried about your liver or your kidneys, that deserves a blood test rather than a herb, and our doctor is here for exactly that.
Is it a prebiotic? I have read that it contains inulin.
It does contain inulin, and that is the most substantiated thing about burdock. The difficulty is the amount. The authorised inulin claim needs 12 g a day, and this product’s own panel states under 1 g of total carbohydrate per serving, of which inulin is only a part. So a serving cannot reach a twelfth of the threshold. If prebiotic fibre is what you are after, buy it by the gram and ask us what we have.
Will it clear my skin?
We cannot tell you that, and anyone who does is going beyond the evidence. Burdock has a long traditional association with the skin, which is worth knowing and is why people have taken it for centuries. It has no authorised claim for skin of any kind, and acne and eczema are conditions that deserve proper assessment rather than a herb bought online. Our doctor can look at persistent skin problems properly.
Why does the brand matter on burdock specifically?
Because burdock root resembles the root of deadly nightshade, and in the late 1970s commercial burdock root tea in the United States was found to contain belladonna root instead, causing a cluster of poisonings that were written up in a medical journal and reported by public health authorities. Reviews of herbal contamination still cite burdock as the textbook case. A manufacturer who identity-tests the raw material is therefore buying you something real, and NOW Foods state that theirs is quality tested in their own laboratories. This is the main reason we stock this bottle rather than a cheaper one.
Who should avoid it?
Anyone allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, echinacea or chamomile, because burdock is in the same plant family and cross-reactivity is well recognised. Anyone pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, because of a traditional reputation as a uterine stimulant with no safety data against it. And anyone on diabetes medicines, diuretics or blood thinners should check with us first rather than after. Children should not take it at all.
Can I take it every day?
Two capsules a day with food is the intended serving and adults generally tolerate it well. If your digestion is sensitive, start with one capsule for the first week, because the inulin in the root is fermented in your large intestine and a gradual start is kinder. If anything feels wrong, stop and tell us.
How long does a bottle last, and what does it cost a day?
A hundred capsules is 50 servings, so a little under two months at the intended dose, or roughly 47 shillings a day. That is mid-range for our shelf. For a botanical where identity testing genuinely matters, we think it is money well spent.
Is it suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
Both. The capsule is hypromellose, which is cellulose rather than gelatin, and the only other ingredient is stearic acid from a vegetable source. It is also free of the eleven major allergens, which makes it one of the cleanest labels in our catalogue.
Does it interact with my medicines?
Possibly, and it is worth two minutes at the counter. The three to raise are diabetes medicines, because burdock may lower blood glucose on top of what your medicine is already doing; diuretics, because of burdock’s own traditional diuretic effect; and warfarin or another blood thinner, where caution is reasonable. Bring your list and we will go through it with you.
How is this different from your dandelion root?
They are close cousins. Both are in the Asteraceae family, so the same allergy caution applies to both, and both carry a traditional reputation for digestion and for what older herbals called cleansing. Neither has an authorised health claim. The practical differences are the form and the cost: the dandelion is a liquid extract taken as a bitter before meals and works out dearer by the day, while this is a capsule taken with food. If you are deciding between them, tell us what you are hoping for and we will give you an honest view.
Where can I buy burdock root in Kenya?
From HealthAlone. Order online for delivery anywhere in Kenya, including Nairobi, Kikuyu, Thika, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Meru, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Kakamega, Kisii, Kitale, Nanyuki, Embu, Garissa, Malindi and Diani, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We also ship across East Africa and the wider continent. If you would like a pharmacist to check it against your medicines and your allergies before you pay, say so when you order and we will call you.
