How to Identify Burdock

You have probably seen burdock before but may have thought it was wild rhubarb, or perhaps pulled it from your garden as a weed. Burdock, though, can be a useful plant for wilderness survival. If you know how to identify burdock and prepare it, it can help keep you alive when you run out of food.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find an open area or look along the edges of a forest. Burdock plants can be found in temperate zones throughout the northern hemisphere.

    • 2

      Look for a plant, usually around 1 meter tall, with very broad green leaves. The leaves are somewhat arrow-shaped, and have wavy edges.

    • 3

      Keep an eye out for purple or pink flowers, or clusters of spiny burrs. These burrs may stick to you clothing or to the fur of an animal.

    • 4

      Peel the leaves from the stalks and eat them raw. If you prefer, you can boil them thoroughly and eat them as you would spinach or other greens.

    • 5

      Dig up the fleshy roots. Boil or bake them to make them easier to eat.

    • 6

      Dry the roots and eat them later, when fresh vegetation is scarce. The dried roots can also be ground up and boiled in water to be drunk as a coffee substitute.

    • 7

      Peel the individual fibers from the stalks and dry them to weave rope.