Ingestible skincare ingredient: Burdock root—the natural solution for everything from digestion to a clearer complexion?

There are three potential health benefits of ingesting burdock root orally—not just for the betterment of our skin, but for the enhancement of our entire well-being. 

If you struggle with pimples—either chronically, or during the odd hormonal flare-up—burdock root may be a powerful ally in reducing them and building back a smooth, even complexion. 

Recent studies have confirmed burdock root’s remarkable efficacy in taking acne vulgaris to task due to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties: 

One of burdock root’s premier skin benefits can be traced back to one of the richest medical traditions on the planet: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Burdock root is a staple of the TCM herbal canon, where it’s most commonly used to treat 3 skin issues that have an inflammatory response in common: 

• Psoriasis: Causes itchy, scaly rashes on the skin 
• Eczema: Can lead to dryness, itching, and infection 
• Contact dermatitis: Skin’s response to foreign substances 

Circulation is fundamental for every system of the body, but it has a unique role to play in our skin. Maintaining a healthy blood flow is a critical part of nurturing our skin with the nutrients we acquire through food sources and supplements. It’s also elemental to restoring the skin in periods where it has to recover from injury. That’s because, as our body’s first line of defense, skin is constantly in a state of cell renewal and self-replenishment.  

When circulation is poor, however, the skin can appear dull, lifeless, and have trouble “bouncing back” from conditions such as: 

• Sunburns and UV radiation 
• Acne and acne-related scarring 
• Physical injuries to the skin 

TCM practitioners have a long record of using burdock root to encourage blood to flow to the skin’s surface. They also regard burdock as a blood purifier, with the ability to eliminate toxins found in the bloodstream. Taking a burdock root supplement may serve to foster a creamier skin texture externally and promote its internal vitality, reducing concerns like eczema and resulting in nourished, revitalized skin. 

If you’ve ever taken a sip of burdock root tea, you may know that it has a uniquely slippery texture. This is because burdock root is rich in inulin, a type of prebiotic with gut health-enhancing properties that may be linked to its ability to absorb and retain moisture. 

In many cases, persistent blemishes may result from a perturbed gut-skin axis—a term that refers to the intimate relationship between our gut microbiome and the immune function of our skin. Researchers suspect that an imbalanced microbiome has a significant role to play in controlling metabolism, immune responses and inflammation throughout the body, including our complexion.  

In addition to assisting with the restoration of our gut microbiota, burdock root may also offer powerful hydrating properties. This is due to inulin’s role as a humectant—a substance that binds to and retains water.  

By helping our skin absorb and maintain its hydration levels, the benefits of burdock root may go beyond coaxing our gut-skin axis back into balance. It may also help to lock in that extra dose of moisture our digestive and cutaneous systems need to maintain a state of wellness.