Burdock has been a fundamental botanical in Western folk herbalism and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, primarily valued for its lung and stomach cleansing, skin smoothing, and heat balancing properties.

Traditionally, this plant has been used as a blood purifier and tonic.

Though all plant parts are used, the white roots contain the most significant amount of nutrients and phytochemicals. The burdock root also contains flavonoids that have exhibited cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, which is why it is also an effective topical treatment for skin conditions such as acne, burns, boils, and eczema.

The inspiration for Velcro came from the burdock bur. Swiss electrical engineer named Georges de Mestral, the inventor of Velcro, was walking along one day in the mountains and saw burs sticking on his wool socks and his dog's fur. He went home and examined the barbed, hook-like seeds that make up the fruit and thought he could replicate this "gripping" action in the laboratory. And in 1955, Velcro was born.