Sanguisorba officinalis
| Sanguisorba officinalis | |
 | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |    |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Sanguisorba officinalis (common name: great burnet)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out as soon as they have reached a reasonable size.
The seed can also be sown in situ in early spring[1].
Division in the spring or in autumn[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[2]. Prefers a good moist soil that does not dry out in the summer, in sun or partial shade[3][4]. Plants grow tolerably well in very poor soils and likes a dry chalky soil[1].
This species is hardy to about -25°c[3].
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[3]. Moist shady sites in grassland, on siliceous soils[5][6][7].
Edibility: Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[6][8][9]. They should be harvested in the spring before the plant comes into flower[10]. A cucumber flavour[5][11], they can be added to salads or used as a potherb[12].
The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[12].
Medicinal: 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)[13]. Patients suffering from eczema showed marked improvement when treated with an ointment made from the root and petroleum jelly[13].
The leaves are astringent, refrigerant, styptic and tonic[5][14][15]. They are used in the treatment of fevers and bleeding[14][15]. The plant is prevented from flowering and then the leaves are harvested in July and dried for later use[1][16].
The root is anodyne, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, haemostatic, tonic and vulnerary[1][5][10][17][18][19][20][21][14]. It is used in the treatment of peptic ulcers, haematuria, menorrhagia, bloody stool, dysentery, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids and burns[20]. The root is harvested in the autumn as the leaves die down and dried for later use[1][16].
All parts of the plant are astringent, but the root is most active[1]. Great burnet is an excellent internal treatment for all sorts of abnormal discharges including diarrhoea, dysentery and leucorrhoea[1]. It is used externally in the treatment of burns, scalds, sores and skin diseases[16].
This species was ranked 19th in a Chinese survey of 250 potential anti-fertility plants[14].
Usage: The roots contain tannin[5].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Poterium officinale.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.