The Herb That Helped Me Rebuild from the Inside Out transcript

If I could only keep one herb in my kitchen for the rest of my life, it would be burdock root. I talked about burdock root 5 years ago, but I hadn't come across it in its raw form at that time. That came later, and that changed how I use it. Why burdock root became one of my favorite herbs? Well, burdock was one of the first herbs I used consistently during a decade-long journey of rebuilding myself. Despite being a bitter root, when prepared properly, I find it deeply enjoyable.

The way it makes me feel hard to explain, but I would say stable, grounded. It has a foundational vibe to it. Fresh burdock is a completely different experience. It's less bitter than dried, has a subtle sweetness to it, uh crunchy texture, almost carrot-like. At times I eat it raw. I might chop it up, add it to salads, but I found myself juicing it quite often. Juicing with pear is one of my favorite combinations for burdock.

Actually, today I'll show two juices, one using fresh burdock. For those who can't find wildcrafted, the other recipe is going to be using the tea from the dried burdock. With that being said, I want to shout out to today's sponsor, Kuvings USA. For both, I'll be using the Kuvings Auto 10. Over 2 years since I've had it, now approaching three, it's still been top-notch. How I discovered burdock, I first learned about it through Dr.

Sebi's lectures. I was searching for natural iron and internal cleansing support. At the time, I was coming out of years of weekend drinking. You know, I was a big social drinker. And I needed to reset my bloodstream and organs. There are plenty of herbs that help release toxins from the body for that purpose, but burdock for me was a great starting point. A year or two later, I spotted fresh burdock root at the Easton Food Co-op.

I juiced it alone, expecting it to be super bitter, but instead I got earthy and sweet. From that moment on, both fresh and dried stayed in rotation at least as long as I could find it and it wasn't season, especially during fasting and detox periods. I feel it's important to mention that there is wildcrafted burdock and what most people will come across farm-raised burdock. I can almost guarantee you'll find this at any Asian market near you.

Wildcrafted burdock grows deeper and slower. It could be twisted, grooved, uneven. No two roots look the same. Because it's seasonal, it's harder to find, but it carries more depth, more nutrition, more way more benefits. Farm-raised burdock is widely available, as mentioned, especially at Asian markets. It has a uniform, smooth, polished appearance, milder in flavor. I've heard many people report real benefits from using farm-raised burdock, but personally, if I'm not able to spot wildcrafted burdock, I'll avoid this and stick to the dried.

I'd say choose wild burdock when you can. If it's not available, more than likely it doesn't grow in your area or it's just not in season. With that being said, when it comes to buying dried burdock root or any herb for that matter, you want to be aware of its origin. I'd say dried burdock root sourced from the US is more likely wild than mass farmed imports. So, if I'm looking on an herbal site and I see that it's sourced from China, I avoid it.

Avoid powders and go for the whole or cut and sifted root. You get your dried herb, give it a nice smell. Should have that earthy smell to it. If it's not a strong smell, that may indicate that the herbs are stale. So, let's move on to our juice recipes. Uh first starting with the fresh burdock root. Before I even work with burdock, I have to clean it first. I like to soak mines in water, sea salt, and key lime juice for about 10 to 15 minutes, give it a good scrub.

If you don't feel like doing that, you can peel the outer skin with a potato peeler. So, our juice with wildcrafted burdock requires 6 in of fresh wild burdock root, four Asian [snorts] pears, which I couldn't find, so I'm using Bosque pears as an alternative, two key limes, and one thumb of ginger. This drink is grounding, cleansing, and will have you feeling focused. Uh cheers, family. So refreshing. For our tea-based burdock juice, we're going to steep 1 Tbsp of dried burdock root to 2 cups of spring water.

You let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then you allow it to chill completely. And you're going to use the same juice combination, of course. You're just subtracting the fresh burdock root we used last time. We're just going to pair it with the tea. >> Now we're going to combine 3/4 of the pear juice with 1/4 of the chilled burdock tea. The herbal bitterness balances the sweetness of the pear juice. Ideal for those mindful of glucose response or any blood sugar spikes.

This time with the herbal tea. Cheers, family. Pretty fire. Juicing fresh burdock with pears is a little more electrifying. Wow, this is more chill, laid-back vibes. Well, I hope you enjoyed today's video. Until next time, peace, God.