Burdock

Arctium lappa

Although burdock isn’t native to North America, various Native American tribes used the herb once it was introduced by European settlers. The Ojibwa tribe, in particular, held burdock root in high esteem. In combination with slippery elm bark, turkey rhubarb root and sheep sorrel, burdock root was a component in the traditional Ojibwa tonic later adapted by Rene Caisse, the Canadian nurse who presented the world with the formula known as essiac tea.