✵The article records the herb Garden Burnet Root—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources, which are two plant species: (1) Sanguisorba officinalis L. and (2) Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the macroscopic and microscopic features of the dried root (Garden Burnet Root); its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Radix Sanguisorbae (Garden Burnet Root)
Pinyin Name: Dì Yú
English Name: Garden Burnet Root
Latin Name:Radix Sanguisorbae Properties and Flavor: slightly cold; bitter, sour
Brief Introduction:Radix Sanguisorbae is the dried root of Sanguisorba officinalis L. or Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li. It is used as a blood-cooling hemostatic herb for treating various hemorrhagic conditions—including hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematochezia, and metrorrhagia—and is also an important agent for burn treatment. Commonly known as Radix Sanguisorbae, garden burnet root, or Dì Yú.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works—including major monographs such as Bencao Gangmu and other authoritative materia medica—define Radix Sanguisorbae (Garden Burnet Root) as the dried root of either (1) Sanguisorba officinalis L. or (2) Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li. Both belong to the genus Sanguisorba, family Rosaceae (rose family), order Rosales. These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Sanguisorba officinalis L.
Botanical Description:Sanguisorba officinalis L., commonly known as Dì Yú (“ground elm”), is a perennial herb reaching 30–120 cm in height. The root is stout, fusiform (spindle-shaped), or slender and cylindrical; its surface is tan (chocolate brown) or puce (purplish brown), bearing longitudinal wrinkles and transverse cracks; the cross-section is yellowish-white or purplish-red and relatively flat.
Stems are erect, ridged, glabrous, or sparsely glandular-hairy at the base. Basal leaves are pinnately compound with 4–6 pairs of leaflets; petioles are glabrous or sparsely glandular-hairy at the base; leaflets are short-stipitate; stipules (peraphylla) are membranous, brown, glabrous or sparsely glandular-hairy on the outer surface; leaflets are ovate (egg-shaped) or oblong, 1–7 cm long and 0.5–3 cm wide; apices are obtuse and sparsely acute-pointed; bases are cordate to shallowly cordate; margins bear coarse, blunt crenations; both surfaces are green and glabrous. Cauline leaves are fewer; their leaflets are sessile, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, elongated, with bases slightly cordate to rounded and apices acute; stipules are large, herbaceous, semiovoid, with sharply serrated lateral margins. Stipules of basal leaves are membranous, brown, glabrous or sparsely glandular; those of cauline leaves are large, herbaceous, semiovoid, with sharply serrated lateral margins.
The inflorescence is a dense, erect spike—elliptic, cylindrical, or ovoid—typically 1–3 cm (occasionally up to 4 cm) long and 0.5–1 cm in diameter, purple to dark purple, with flowers opening downward from the apex. The peduncle is smooth or occasionally sparsely glandular-hairy. Two bracts are present—membranous, lanceolate, acuminate to cuspidate at the apex, shorter than or nearly equal in length to the sepals; their abaxial surfaces and margins are pilose. There are four sepals (calyx lobes), elliptic to broadly ovate, often mucronate at the apex, violet-red in color. Four stamens are present; filaments are filiform, not enlarged, subequal to or slightly shorter than the sepals. The ovary is glabrous externally or sparsely piliferous at the base; the stigma is apically enlarged, discoid, with a fringed, nipple-like margin.
Achenes are enclosed within a persistent calyx tube, obovate-oblong or orbicular, with four prominent ridges. Flowering occurs from July to October; fruiting from September to November.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in grasslands, meadows, hillside or mountain-slope grasslands, thickets, and open forests, at elevations ranging from 30 to 3,000 meters above sea level.
Growth Characteristics:Sanguisorba officinalis prefers a warm, moist climate and is cold-tolerant; young plants require no winter protection even in northern regions. Its growing season extends from April to November, with peak growth occurring in July and August. Optimal soils for cultivation include rich humus, sandy loam, loam, and clay loam.
Characteristics of the Herb: The root is cylindrical, slightly twisted and bent, 18–22 cm long (or 5–25 cm long) and 0.5–2 cm in diameter. Lateral rootlets or their scars are sometimes visible. A cylindrical rhizome—or its remnant—is present at the apex. The herb is firm and slightly crisp in texture; the fracture surface is flat and slightly powdery. The cambium ring on the cross-section is conspicuous; the cortex is primrose yellow (pale yellow), and the xylem (wood portion) is brown or pinkish, arranged in a distinct radial pattern. The herb has a faint odor and tastes slightly bitter and astringent.
Medicinal efficacy: Cools the blood, stops bleeding, clears heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and promotes ulcer healing. It is indicated for hematemesis, epistaxis (nasal bleeding or bleeding from orifices or subcutaneous tissues), hematuria, hematochezia, hemorrhoids, dysentery with bloody stools, uterine bleeding, hemorrhoidal bleeding, leukorrhea with reddish discharge, anal fistula, burns (caused by hot liquids or fire), eczema, pruritus vulvae, incised wounds (e.g., from metal instruments), scalds, carbuncles, furuncles, snakebites, and insect stings.
Administration of Radix Sanguisorbae (Dì Yú):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Radix Sanguisorbae (Dì Yú)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 9–15 grams. Topical: appropriate amount—prepare as finely powdered herb and apply topically to the affected area. (2) Internally: water decoction, 2–3 qián (≈6–9 grams); or formulated into pills or powders. Topical: use fresh juice or finely powdered herb—sprinkle or apply as a paste. (3) Internally: water decoction, 6–15 grams; fresh herb, 30–120 grams; also prepared as pills, powders, or fresh juice for oral use. Topical: appropriate amount—apply decoction or juice, or use finely powdered herb (sprinkled or made into a paste).
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Radix Sanguisorbae is contraindicated during pregnancy and in cases of deficiency-cold metrorrhagia or leukorrhea. Prolonged or inappropriate use may impair spleen-stomach function; excessive intake may cause trismus (lockjaw) and anorexia.
(2) Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li.
Botanical Description:Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li., commonly known as Cháng Yè Dì Yú (“long-leaf ground elm”), differs from S. officinalis L. primarily in the following features: basal leaves and leaflets are narrowly oblong to lanceolate, with bases that are slightly cordate, broadly cordate, or wide cuneate; cauline leaves are numerous, resembling basal leaves but longer and narrower. The inflorescence is a dense, erect, long-cylindrical spike, 2–6 cm long and 0.5–1 cm in diameter. Stamens are nearly equal in length to the sepals. Flowering and fruiting occur from August to November.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in grasslands, along stream banks, in thickets, marshes, and open forests, at elevations of 100–3000 m above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: The root is cylindrical or elongated-cylindrical, often curved, 15–26 cm long and 0.5–2 cm in diameter. Numerous lateral rootlets may be present; the surface is brown, reddish-brown, or brownish-purple, bearing fine longitudinal lines. The texture is firm and tough, not easily fractured. The fracture surface is fine and pilose, with abundant visible fibers. The cambium ring is inconspicuous; the cortex is yellow, and the xylem (wood portion) is pale yellow—not arranged radially. The herb has a faint odor and tastes slightly bitter and astringent.
✵The article records the herb Garden Burnet Root—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources, which are two plant species: (1) Sanguisorba officinalis L. and (2) Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the macroscopic and microscopic features of the dried root (Garden Burnet Root); its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Dì Yú
Botanical Description: Sanguisorba officinalis L., commonly known as Dì Yú (“ground elm”), is a perennial herb reaching 30–120 cm in height. The root is stout, fusiform (spindle-shaped), or slender and cylindrical; its surface is tan (chocolate brown) or puce (purplish brown), bearing longitudinal wrinkles and transverse cracks; the cross-section is yellowish-white or purplish-red and relatively flat.
The inflorescence is a dense, erect spike—elliptic, cylindrical, or ovoid—typically 1–3 cm (occasionally up to 4 cm) long and 0.5–1 cm in diameter, purple to dark purple, with flowers opening downward from the apex. The peduncle is smooth or occasionally sparsely glandular-hairy. Two bracts are present—membranous, lanceolate, acuminate to cuspidate at the apex, shorter than or nearly equal in length to the sepals; their abaxial surfaces and margins are pilose. There are four sepals (calyx lobes), elliptic to broadly ovate, often mucronate at the apex, violet-red in color. Four stamens are present; filaments are filiform, not enlarged, subequal to or slightly shorter than the sepals. The ovary is glabrous externally or sparsely piliferous at the base; the stigma is apically enlarged, discoid, with a fringed, nipple-like margin.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in grasslands, meadows, hillside or mountain-slope grasslands, thickets, and open forests, at elevations ranging from 30 to 3,000 meters above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: The root is cylindrical, slightly twisted and bent, 18–22 cm long (or 5–25 cm long) and 0.5–2 cm in diameter. Lateral rootlets or their scars are sometimes visible. A cylindrical rhizome—or its remnant—is present at the apex. The herb is firm and slightly crisp in texture; the fracture surface is flat and slightly powdery. The cambium ring on the cross-section is conspicuous; the cortex is primrose yellow (pale yellow), and the xylem (wood portion) is brown or pinkish, arranged in a distinct radial pattern. The herb has a faint odor and tastes slightly bitter and astringent.
Botanical Description: Sanguisorba officinalis L. var. longifolia (Bertol.) Yü et Li., commonly known as Cháng Yè Dì Yú (“long-leaf ground elm”), differs from S. officinalis L. primarily in the following features: basal leaves and leaflets are narrowly oblong to lanceolate, with bases that are slightly cordate, broadly cordate, or wide cuneate; cauline leaves are numerous, resembling basal leaves but longer and narrower. The inflorescence is a dense, erect, long-cylindrical spike, 2–6 cm long and 0.5–1 cm in diameter. Stamens are nearly equal in length to the sepals. Flowering and fruiting occur from August to November.
Ecological Environment: This species grows in grasslands, along stream banks, in thickets, marshes, and open forests, at elevations of 100–3000 m above sea level.
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