Sanguisorba officinalis

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Rosaceae

Genus

Sanguisorba

Life cycle

perennial

Height

1 m

Spread

0.6 m

Fertility

Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self

Flower type

hermaphrodite

Pollinators

Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked^[3][19][2]. They should be harvested in the spring before the plant comes into flower^[21]. A cucumber flavour^[20][18], they can be added to salads or used as a potherb^[9]. The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute^[9].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Great burnet is employed mainly for its astringent action, being used to slow or arrest blood flow. It is taken both internally and externally internally and is a safe and effective treatment. Modern research in China has shown that the whole herb heals burns more effectively than the extracted tannins (the astringent component of the plant)^[16]. Patients suffering from eczema showed marked improvement when treated with an ointment made from the root and petroleum jelly^[16]. The leaves are astringent, refrigerant, styptic and tonic^[20][13][14]. They are used in the treatment of fevers and bleeding^[13][14]. The plant is prevented from flowering and then the leaves are harvested in July and dried for later use^[17][15]. The root is anodyne, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, haemostatic, tonic and vulnerary^{[17][20][21][12][4][5][7][8][13]}. It is used in the treatment of peptic ulcers, haematuria, menorrhagia, bloody stool, dysentery, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids and burns^[7]. The root is harvested in the autumn as the leaves die down and dried for later use^[17][15]. All parts of the plant are astringent, but the root is most active^[17]. Great burnet is an excellent internal treatment for all sorts of abnormal discharges including diarrhoea, dysentery and leucorrhoea^[17]. It is used externally in the treatment of burns, scalds, sores and skin diseases^[15]. This species was ranked 19th in a Chinese survey of 250 potential anti-fertility plants^[13].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The roots contain tannin^[20].

Environment

Range

Europe, including Britain, from celand south and east to Spain, temperate Asia to Iran, China, Japan

Habitat

Meadows and wet grassy places by streams^[10]. Moist shady sites in grassland, on siliceous soils^[20][3][6].

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

light shade

Water

high

Hardiness

Zone 4+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil^[1]. Prefers a good moist soil that does not dry out in the summer, in sun or partial shade^[10][11]. Plants grow tolerably well in very poor soils and likes a dry chalky soil^[17]. This species is hardy to about -25°c^[10].

Related plants

• Sanguisorba canadensisAmerican Great Burnet
• Sanguisorba menziesii
• Sanguisorba minorSalad Burnet
• Sanguisorba obtusa

References

1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

   ↩

2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

   ↩

3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

   ↩1↩2

4. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

   ↩

5. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

   ↩

6. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

   ↩

7. Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00

   ↩1↩2

8. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

   ↩

9. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

   ↩1↩2

10. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

11. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

12. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

13. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

14. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2

15. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3

16. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2

17. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

18. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

19. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

20. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

21. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2