Latin Name: Sanguisorba minor
Alternate Names: Salad Burnet, Garden Burnet, Diyu (Chinese)
Family: ROSACEAE
Parts Used: Leaves, root.
Properties: Alterative, Antibacterial, Antiemetic, Astringent, Diaphoretic, Digestive Tonic, Diuretic, Hemostatic, Tonic, Vulnerary.
Internal Uses: Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Tooth Decay, Ulcers
Internal Applications: Tea, Tincture, Capsules.
Use of Burnet helps prevent tooth decay.
Topical Uses: Bleeding, Bleeding Gums, Burns, Eczema, Hemorrhoids, Periodontal Disease, Sunburn, Wounds
Topical Applications: Poultice to stop bleeding. Wash for sunburn. Salve for burns, eczema, hemorrhoids and wounds. Used in toothpastes and mouthwashes to prevent periodontal disease and treat bleeding gums.
Culinary uses: Leaves give a nutty cucumber flavor to salads, dressings, cheeses, soups, fish sauces and summer drinks. The herbalist John Gerard advised eating the flowers to make the heart ‘merrie and glad’. Used in beer making.
Energetics: Bitter, Sour, Cold.
Chemical Constituents: Tannins (sanguisorbic acid), phenolic acid (dilactone), catechin, procyanidinsgum, vitamin C.
Comments: The genus name Sanguisorba is from Latin and means ‘blood absorber’ in reference to this herb’s use in staunching bleeding wounds. It is said that during the American Revolution, soldiers drank a tea of Burnet the night before battle, so that if wounded they wouldn’t bleed to death. The common name, Burnet is from the French, brunette, alluding to the chestnut red flower. It was favored in medieval gardens as it survived and provided fresh greens throughout the winter.
The common name Burnet includes the species Sanguisorba officinalis (Greater Burnet), which is used interchangeably with Sanguisorba minor. Sanguisorba minor was formerly called Poterium officinalis.