Salad burnet
Burnet (Sanguisorba minor, Rosaceae)
English: salad burnet
French: pimprenelle
Swedish: pimpinell
The salad burnet is found at the edges of roads on all the Balearic Islands, just as in other parts of Southern and Central Europe, also in Northern Africa, Scandinavia and the Middle East.
Due to its high content in tannin the plant has an astringent effect. As a remedy for gastritis burnet buds can be eaten in salads, or a strong tea of burnet roots can be drunk. For healing wounds a decoction from the roots is prepared and a compress is soaked in it. With the same decoction gargles can be made in case of mouth or throat inflammations.
A tea of the leaves is used externally for sunburnt skin. Legend has it that it was even effective against the plague.
