Sanguisorba officinalis

Sanguisorba officinalis, the 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. 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.