For many, bardana is the plant with spinach seed heads that stick to socks, sleeves, and pets. But for herbivores, it means much more!
The bardana is part of the Asters family and is closely related to other medicinal plants such as pissenlit, big chamomile or echinacea. It is important to distinguish the big barbed (Arctium lappa) from the common barbed (A. Minus). Although both are large plants, the common bardana is slightly smaller and the stems are hollow, unlike the large bardana, which has solid, firm stems.
Rumor has it that the crocheted beards of the strawberry strawberries were the inspiration that led to the invention of the Velcro. This quality, not so attractive, has earned the plant a host of nicknames such as "beggars' buttons", "shell's buttons," "coil's knobs", "coils' beads", "poultry snake seeds", "spinish beads" and "hurricane beads," to name just a few...
A little history...
The big bardana has been known for its medicinal properties since (at least) the Middle Ages. Then ancient practitioners in China, India, and Europe prescribed it as a tonic to purify the blood. It was also used to treat certain diseases, such as constipation, cough, hair loss, gout, arthritis, kidney stones, urinary problems, respiratory disorders, sciatica and intestinal problems.
This plant was well known by American herbologists who used it as a blood purifier and analgesic, since the colonization of the country.
It was also known for its culinary qualities, with its root being nicknamed the "poor's potato". The Native Americans, in particular, depended on the whole plant for its healing powers and nutritional value, and they sometimes boiled the stems in barley syrup to make it a sweet delight or stored the dried roots throughout the winter.
How to grow it?
The big bardana is easy to grow by planting seeds directly in the garden when the weather warms up in spring. It prefers the full sun and a mobile and rich soil and it is possible to take in advance by planting seeds inside a few weeks earlier. Seedlings transplant well, unlike mature seedlings, which are difficult to transplant because of their long pivoting roots. Bardana roots can spread over 3 feet in the soil, which is why the plant is often considered a weed.
Bardana is a often forgotten plant that has many benefits for skin, acne and hair. Despite its many virtues, few people know it...
Benefits of bardana
- On your skin...
Bardana has beneficial effects on the skin, both inside and outside. Detoxifying and purifying, it can be used to relieve sensitive and irritated skin. The bardana contains polyens that will help combat skin irritation. Polyens have many antibacterial properties that stimulate bile production and help eliminate toxins. - On your buttons...
Bardana is a very effective plant for fighting oily skin with pimples thanks to its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. By preventing the proliferation of bacteria, bardana significantly reduces the presence of buds. It can also play an anti-inflammatory role in reducing the appearance of these, cleansing the skin. - On your hair...
Finally, bardana is beneficial for fighting oily hair and baldness, as it helps to regulate the secretion of sebum, or to slow hair loss or re-growth. Apply the bardane lotion on your scalp every day for about a month.
The SIPF process
We recommend the consumption of bardana in the form of SIPF. This liquid form preserves intact all the active ingredients as if it were a plant just harvested.
Patented in Europe, the SIPF manufacturing process guarantees the preservation of all constituents as they were in the native state in the fresh plant. This process, labelled AB by Ecocert, returns the whole biochemical of the fresh plant (the totum), for optimal efficiency.