Sanguisorba officinalis

Great burnet
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Sanguisorba
Species:	S. officinalis
Binomial name
Sanguisorba officinalis L.

Sanguisorba officinalis (great burnet) is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1 m tall, which occurs in grasslands, growing well on grassy banks. It flowers June or July.

Sanguisorba officinalis is an important food plant for the European large blue butterflies Maculinea nausithous and M. teleius.

Use is made of its extensive root system for erosion control, as well as a bioremediator, used to reclaim derelict sites such as landfills.

It has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where it is known by the name Di Yu. It is said to cool the blood, stop bleeding, clear heat, and heal wounds. (Chinese Herbal Materia Medica by Dan Bensky)

Specifically, the root is used to stop bloody dysentery, nosebleeds, and is applied topically to treat burns and insect bites.

Polysaccharides extracted from Sanguisorba officinalis displayed antioxidant activities .Ethanol extracts of Sanguisorba officinalis roots were shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects. The root extract was also shown to have an anti FGF5 inhibitory effect which resulted in reduced hair loss.

Sanguiin H-6 is a dimeric ellagitannin that can be found in S. officinalis.

Ziyuglycoside II is a triterpenoid saponin that can be found in S. officinalis.

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Wikipedia