Sanguisorba minor

Both the root and the leaves are astringent, diaphoretic and styptic, though the root is most active. The plant is an effective wound herb, quickly staunching any bleeding. An infusion is used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism. The leaves can be used fresh, or are harvested in July and dried (the plant should be prevented from flowering). The root is harvested in the autumn and dried. An infusion of the leaves is used as a soothing treatment for sunburn or skin troubles such as eczema.

Plants have extensive root systems and are used for erosion control, they are also used to reclaim landfills and mined-out terrain. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

EDIBLE FLOWERS: PART SIX

Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is very easy to grow whether in a flower pot or a garden. So is it a wild edible or a cultivated edible? You can buy the seeds or go look for it. I take it from my garden, dice it, and sprinkle it on salads especially when I don't have an cucumbers because Burnet tastes like cukes. Burnet blossom also have a hint of cucumber flavor as well. It was the favorite herb of Francis Bacon, and Thomas Jefferson mentioned it. A tea made from the leaves has medicinal uses.