Try to imagine what a sexy herb would look like. 
Is it shiny? A vivid primary colour? Voluptuous and rippled and sinewy all over? Burdock (牛蒡根) is likely the opposite of what you might be envisioning. Dirt brown, straight as an arrow, and even displaying hairs in surprising places, burdock can only brag about price and size.  At about 25 NT and averaging 2-3 feet long, at first glance these are all that this root has going for it.

But like a great lover, burdock is attentive to your body. It makes you feel good. It moves slowly until the two of you are working in perfect synchrony and by then what burdock looks like ceases to matter because now you love it right back.

How has this Cyrano escaped your notice all this time? Or perhaps you already cook it at home or eat it as gobo in your favourite Japanese restaurant and just had no idea what a dynamo it is. There isn't much that burdock can't transform. Whether you cook it or make a simple decoction (more on that later), this herb can assist in all of these and more.
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So what are the best moves in this root's repertoire? Let's start with the basics. It is generous in vitamins and minerals like B1, B2, B3, B6, C, magnesium, iron, zinc,and potassium. Burdock has a tap root which means that is pulls nutrients from deep down in the soil where other plants can't reach.  But how do you know if you are using all the nutrients you consume?  If you are you gassy, fatigued, stressed, get a puffy belly after meals, or are less consistent in the bathroom than you used to be, burdock loves you there, too. It's full of fiber to give your digestive system a good cleaning as well as plentiful with a special polysaccharide called inulin. Inulin invites good bacteria and keeps them happy enough to stay, so you'll soak up more from your food, generate more nutrients, feed your immune system, maintain balanced blood sugar levels, and can be back to your old self in the bathroom.

Historically, herbalists called burdock a blood purifier. Today we know it gives your liver special attention. Burdock doesn't force the body to cleanse, it supports the liver, kidneys, and the rest of the body to operate at peak health. If something needs to go, burdock helps it along via the liver and kidneys. If a system needs building, this herb will support your body that way. A great example of this is hormones! While hormones can be your best ally, the false and hazardous ones we pick up are not. These are picked up from plastics, the meat we eat, and artificial fragrances around us. And on us! Laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and colognes/perfumes are some of the worst offenders. Additionally, if we are stressing around in cortisol streams and/or not eliminating our bowels well, neither our natural nor the accumulated hormones (and hormone impostors)  can move out of our bodies. Instead they recirculate inside us disrupting the entire mind-body. Burdock is rich in regular-making fiber while also supporting the liver in metabolizing hormones and clearing out what doesn't belong. Your skin will thank you for all of this by clearing up. Your heart gets a turn at burdock's loving  attention, too, with a good dose of potassium which encourages a healthy heart rate and blood pressure. By now, having reached your heart, your body is smitten with this homely root.

Burdock isn't the one you notice from across the room. It's the one that you take a while to warm up to and then one day you find that you can't imagine having been without it. The longer you and burdock stick together the better you’ll feel and what started out as a 25 NT market fling has turned into a true partnership in health.

Like most herbs, burdock pairs especially well with one or many herbs to nourish and restore more deeply. The synergy of burdock root and dandelion is highly prized. If you want to let burdock and dandelion work in tandem on you, you can find burdock's best ally, dandelion root, in 8 oz bags at:
www.healthbestowinghands.com/restorative-tonics/coming-soon-8-oz-dandelion-root-cut-and-sifted-frontier

For a more in depth look at burdock root (), see these two posts by these two respected herbalists:
Jim McDonald  www.herbcraft.org/burdock.html
Richard Whelan  www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/burdock.html

How to consume your newly acquired burdock root:
A drinkable decoction

Cooking:

Burdock root is tough, so use a peeler and shave it into a stir fry, chop it into your favourite soups and into your rice cooker, or cut into pieces and place on a cookie sheet in the oven with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once you get using it, you will find so many ways to feature it in your cooking.
Note about burdock: Once you've started using a root, it's good to use it up quickly. Luckily, burdock root freezes well, so cut or shave it up and throw it into the freezer for later!

For a more in depth look at burdock root, see these two posts by these two respected herbalists:
Jim McDonald  http://www.herbcraft.org/burdock.html
Richard Whelan  http://www.rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/burdock.html