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.
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. Five triterpene glycosides were isolated from the MeOH extract of Sanguisorbaofficinalis (Rosaceae) roots,
The leaves are used in salads because they are mildly reminiscent of cucumber. Selective pruning of apical meristems, such as at flower heads, is used to encourage an increase in leaf production. It has been in use by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, probably through the employment of the doctrine of signatures as a treatment for bleeding.