Burdock has large heart-shaped leaves and produces purple flowers in the spring and autumn.
In traditional medicine, it is the dark roots â not the plant itself â that offer health benefits.
Burdock contains oils, as well as compounds called tannins and plant sterols. Doctors do not know which of the plant's components offer health benefits. The reason for this is that most research looks at burdock root as a whole and not at a specific element in the root.