Guide
How much burdock root should you take a day?
No effective daily dose of burdock root has been established. One trial used 460 mg of root powder a day for 12 weeks, another about 6 g of root as tea for 6 weeks; both were in people with a medical condition.
No effective daily dose of burdock root has been established. The one trial of capsule-sized root powder used 460 mg a day for 12 weeks, and a trial of burdock tea used about 6 g of root a day for six weeks. Those are study amounts, not recommendations, and both were in people with a medical condition.
What the trials used
| Preparation | Daily amount | Length | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root powder (Arctium lappa) | 460 mg | 12 weeks | 60 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (placebo-controlled) |
| Root tea, three cups of 2 g root each | about 6 g of root | 42 days | 36 adults with knee osteoarthritis, all on standard medication |
| Burdock extract | not stated in the abstract | 16 weeks | 42 older women with metabolic syndrome, combined with exercise |
Neither of the first two trials was designed to find a best dose, and neither compared amounts, so neither identifies one. The amounts differ about thirteen-fold, and the forms differ too: a tea is an infusion, and the abstracts don't say how much of the root ends up in the cup. What the trials measured is in burdock root benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
Capsules, powder, tea, tincture and extract
Capsule labels state a milligram amount per serving, sometimes of powdered root and sometimes of an extract. A label should say which: 400 mg of powder and 400 mg of an extract are different things. Teas are usually measured in grams of cut root per cup, and tinctures in millilitres at a stated strength. The only whole-root powder trial used 460 mg a day, so a capsule in that range is the nearest anchor, but that trial was in a specific population and one trial isn't a dose finding.
How long?
The trials ran for 6 to 16 weeks. We found no long-term safety data for burdock root supplements, and the trial abstracts report nothing about side effects either way, so there is no tolerability figure to quote. A 2011 review of burdock does note that it can cause contact dermatitis and other allergic or inflammatory responses; see burdock root side effects.
Questions people ask
How much burdock root should I take daily?
No amount can be recommended, because none has been established. If you take a product, follow its label and don't exceed it; if you take medication or have a medical condition, ask a clinician first.
How many burdock root capsules should I take a day?
Follow the label, which states the amount per serving. Check whether it is powder or extract. The root powder trial used 460 mg a day; a label with a similar amount is comparable on dose only, not on who it was tested in.
How much burdock root tea should I drink per day?
The tea trial used three cups, each from 2 g of root, taken half an hour after meals. That is a study design, not advice, and it was in people with osteoarthritis taking standard medication.
Is there an upper limit?
None has been established. For more, see who should not take burdock root.
Sources
- Effects of Arctium lappa L. Root Powder on Some Markers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial Study In 60 women with PCOS, 460 mg a day of burdock root powder for 12 weeks shifted oxidative-stress and inflammation markers versus placebo.
- Effects of Arctium lappa L. (Burdock) root tea on inflammatory status and oxidative stress in patients with knee osteoarthritis In 36 adults with knee osteoarthritis, 6 g a day of burdock root as tea for 6 weeks shifted blood inflammation and oxidative-stress markers.
- The Combined Intervention of Aqua Exercise and Burdock Extract Synergistically Improved Arterial Stiffness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial In 42 older women with metabolic syndrome, burdock extract combined with aqua exercise improved arterial-stiffness measures beyond exercise alone over 16 weeks.
- A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock) A 2011 review of burdock notes its traditional uses and warns that it can cause contact dermatitis and other allergic or inflammatory reactions.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.