Herb & supplement monograph

Burdock Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Burdock interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Burdock is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Burdock is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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On this page

Burdock Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Burdock drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and the single concern behind them all rests on lab research rather than anything reported in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The one area worth attention is anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, often called blood thinners. Lab studies suggest compounds in burdock might slow platelet activity, which in theory could add to the effect of these drugs and raise bleeding risk. Because bleeding is a serious outcome and these medicines work within a narrow margin, we think this combination deserves the most care, even though the effect has not been shown in humans.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications can look worrying, but it reflects one theoretical concern applied across every blood-thinning drug rather than many separate problems. The evidence comes from laboratory research on platelets, and no bleeding interaction with burdock has actually been reported in people, so most of these predicted effects remain unproven.

Check your medications against Burdock

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Burdock interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Burdock

122 medications have a known interaction with Burdock, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Burdock using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Burdock interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Burdock combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Burdock affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Burdock is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Burdock interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet Drugs

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, taking burdock with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs might increase the risk of bleeding.

In vitro research shows that lignans from burdock reduce rabbit platelet aggregation by inhibiting platelet activating factor. This interaction has not been reported in humans.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Burdock: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Burdock is a traditional herb most often used for skin problems and as a so-called 'blood purifier,' but high-quality human studies are lacking and most claims are not well proven. It is widely eaten as a vegetable and is generally considered low-risk for short-term use in healthy adults, but it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding and by people allergic to ragweed or daisy-family plants.

Scientific name: Arctium lappa
Family: Asteraceae
Part used: Root, leaves, and seeds (fruit)
Common forms: Tea, dried root, capsules, tinctures, liquid extracts, and fresh root used as food

People commonly use it for

Skin conditions like acne and eczema
Digestive support
Diuretic ('detox') and blood purifier
Sore throat and cold symptoms
Antioxidant support

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely safe as a food and for short-term use in healthy adults, but human safety data are limited.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Burdock (Arctium lappa) is a plant in the daisy family that is native to Europe and Asia and now grows in many parts of the world. It has large leaves and long, slender roots, and is easy to spot by its round, prickly burrs that cling to clothing and animal fur.

The root is eaten as a vegetable in some cultures, especially in Japan, where it is known as gobo. In traditional medicine, the root, leaves, and seeds have all been used to make teas, tinctures, and capsules. People have long used burdock as a so-called 'blood purifier' and for skin and digestive complaints.

How it works

Burdock contains several plant compounds that may explain its traditional uses. These include inulin (a type of fiber), antioxidant compounds such as lignans (like arctigenin and arctiin), phenolic acids, and other plant chemicals.

In laboratory and animal studies, these compounds have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activity. The inulin fiber in the root may act as a prebiotic, feeding helpful gut bacteria.

It is important to know that most of this research has not been confirmed in large human studies. Effects seen in a test tube or in animals do not always happen in people.

Effectiveness

Does Burdock work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 14 uses evaluated

14 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Burdock, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 14 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Acne