Burnet
closely
related to the Alchemillas, belonging to the same subdivision, Sanguisorbidae,
of the order Rosaceae and having similar medicinal properties
to Alchemilla vulgaris, Sanguisorba officinalis and
Poterium sanguisorba.
An
Italian proverb says: 'The salad is neither good nor good-looking
when there is no pimpernel.' This pimpernel is our Common Burnet
and must not be confused with the plant known by that name which
has poisonous properties. The roots are perennial and should be
divided in early spring. It likes a dry and chalky soil.
Description:
It is a tall and not inelegant
plant, with pinnate leaves on long stalks, bearing thirteen sharply
serrate leaflets and branched stems, 2 feet high or more, sparsely
clothed with leaves, and oblong heads of deep purple-brown flowers,
which have four-toothed, colored, membraneous calyces. The root
is black and long. The plant has no odor.
Cultivation:
Burnet may be cultivated. It prefers
a light soil. Sow seeds in March and thin out to 9 inches apart.
Propagation may also be effected by division of roots, in the autumn,
that they may be well-established before the dry summer weather
sets in. The flowers should be picked off when they appear, the
stem and leaves only of the herb being used.
Harvesting:
Parts Used Medicinally---The herb and
root, the herb gathered in July, and the root dug in autumn.
Herbal uses:
Astringent and tonic. Great Burnet was
formerly in high repute as a vulnerary, hence its generic name,
from sanguis, blood, and sorbeo, to staunch. Both herb and root
are administered internally in all abnormal discharges: in diarrhea,
dysentery, leucorrhea, it is of the utmost service; dried and powdered,
it has been used to stop purging.
The
whole plant has astringent qualities, but the root possesses the
most astringency. A decoction of the whole herb has, however, been
found useful in hemorrhage and is a tonic cordial and sudorific;
the herb is also largely used in Herb Beer.
Insiders Secret:
Grows in poor soil with good drainage.
Keep blossoms cut. Don't cut back plant more than half. Self-sows
almost too freely if flowers are not cut. Also propagated from division
of toots; divide each year. Good in containers. Leaves give cucumber
aroma to salads, vinegar, cream cheese.
