Salad Burnet

Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor), a perennial herbaceous plant with green leaves and red flowers, can grow to 1–3 feet in height. It is native to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, and temperate regions of Europe, although it has also been naturalized in much of North America (Ceccanti et al., 2019). It can often be seen growing wild in meadows and untended fields.
Historical Use

Salad Burnet has been used as a food source, as the young leaves are edible and reportedly taste like cucumber. Because of this, Salad Burnet leaves are often used in mixed salads or to flavor beverages. As mentioned in Gerard’s 1633 Herball, or, Generall Historie of Plantes, preparations of Salad Burnet root have been used externally to treat wounds, as well as internally to treat dysentery (bloody flux) and menstruation. In addition, leaves of Salad Burnet have been used to augment wine, “to which it yeeldeth a certaine grace in the drinking”(Gerard et al., 1633).
Current Use
Salad Burnet leaves are still used as a food source for both livestock and humans. Traditional preparations of the root have been used as a styptic or antihemorrhagic agent, due to its ability to aid in clotting. There has also been some evidence that extracts of Salad Burnet may play a role in cancer treatment, through inhibition of cancer cell migration (Cuccioloni et al., 2012).
Latest Research
- Sanguisorba minor Scop.: An Overview of Its Phytochemistry and Biological Effectsby Alexandra Cristina Tocai Moţoc on June 10, 2023 at 10:00 am
Since ancient times, many plants have been cultivated for their nutritional and medicinal properties. The genus Sanguisorba has been used for medicinal purposes for more than 2000 years. These species are distributed in temperate, arctic, or alpine areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Elongated, imparipinnate leaves and densely clustered flower heads are characteristics of the genus Sanguisorba. While Sanguisorba officinalis L. is mainly known for its significant medicinal applications, Sanguisorba…
- Standardized extract of Sanguisorba minor attenuates injury in aging rat model via the Nrf2/HO‑1 pathwayby Farshad Mirzavi on February 7, 2023 at 11:00 am
Aging promotes damage to vulnerable organs like brain and liver. Sanguisorba minor has been traditionally used to cure various ailments. Few studies have reported pharmacological activities of this medicinal plant. This research aimed to investigate the effects of Sanguisorba minor extract (SME) on brain and liver injury in aging rats and identify the underlying mechanisms. The aging model was developed by subcutaneously injecting D‑galactose and simultaneously treating them with SME. After…
- Evaluation of Polyphenolic Composition and Antimicrobial Properties of Sanguisorba officinalis L. and Sanguisorba minor Scopby Alexandra-Cristina Tocai Moţoc on December 23, 2022 at 11:00 am
The most widespread Sanguisorba species are Sanguisorba officinalis L. and Sanguisorba minor Scop. which are also found in the Romanian flora and classified as medicinal plants because of hemostatic, antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant and antiviral activities. This study aimed to characterize and compare Sanguisorba species in order to highlight which species is more valuable according to phenolic profile and antimicrobial activity. Based on high-performance liquid chromatography equipped…
- Effect of Sanguisorba minor on scopolamine-induced memory loss in rat: involvement of oxidative stress and acetylcholinesteraseby Zeinab Hosseini on January 4, 2022 at 11:00 am
Sanguisorba minor (S. minor) has neuroprotective and antioxidant activities. However, its potential benefits in ameliorating learning and memory functions have been explored in no studies up to now. So, in the current study, rats were treated with S. minor hydro-ethanolic extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)) as well as rivastigmine (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 consecutive days. Thereafter, their behavioral performance was assessed using Morris water maze (MWM) and passive…
- Acute and sub-acute toxicity assessment of the standardized extract of Sanguisorba minor in vivoby Legha Ansari on December 9, 2021 at 11:00 am
Although Sanguisorba minor has been used as herbal medicine, no study has ever examined its potential toxicity. This study investigated acute and subacute toxicities of S. minor hydroalcoholic extract (SE). In the acute toxicity test, a single oral dose (300, 2,000, and 3,000 mg/kg) of SE was given to mice. The oral administration of SE (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg for 4 weeks) was performed to evaluate subacute toxicity. After the treatments, neurobehavioral, histopathology, hematological, and…
References
Ceccanti, C., Landi, M., Rocchetti, G., Miras Moreno, M. B., Lucini, L., Incrocci, L., . . . Guidi, L. (2019). Hydroponically Grown Sanguisorba minor Scop.: Effects of Cut and Storage on Fresh-Cut Produce. Antioxidants (Basel), 8(12). doi:10.3390/antiox8120631
Cuccioloni, M., Bonfili, L., Mozzicafreddo, M., Cecarini, V., Eleuteri, A. M., & Angeletti, M. (2012). Sanguisorba minor extract suppresses plasmin-mediated mechanisms of cancer cell migration. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1820(7), 1027-1034. doi:10.1016/j.bbagen.2012.02.002
Gerard, J., Dodoens, R., Whitaker, R., Norton, J., Payne, J., Priest, R., . . . Davies, R. (1633). The herball, or, Generall historie of plantes. London: Printed by Adam Islip Joice Norton and Richard Whitakers.