- Type
- Leafy Greens
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Season
- Spring
- Sowing
- From seed
Great burnet
Sanguisorba officinalis
Tannins · a field plant whose leaves smell of cucumber
Great burnet is a rose-family perennial of sunny grassland in hills and fields. Rub a leaf between the fingers and the smell that rises is exactly that of cucumber peel, which is where the Korean name oipul, cucumber plant, comes from. The young leaves of spring are blanched and dressed; by summer they have coarsened, so the plant is left alone until the following spring. From late summer into autumn dark red flower spikes stand up like small clubs, visible from a distance. The Donguibogam lists the root in its Herb section as Jiyu and records the Korean name as oipul. It gives a slightly cold nature, noting that some call it neutral, a taste bitter, sweet and sour, and no toxicity, and says the leaves resemble elm leaves but longer. Flower and seed are dark red like fermented soybean, which the text gives as the origin of the alternative name Oksi, jade fermented bean, and the root is black outside and red within; it is dug in the second and eighth lunar months and dried in the sun. The root is high in tannins, so a strong decoction keeps a heavy astringency.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
- Main producer It grows widely in the Northeast and in North China, and the volume harvested and used as jiyu, the dried root, is the largest anywhere.
- Wild population It grows in sunny grassland on hills and open ground throughout the country, and climbs into alpine meadows as well.
- Wild population It grows in grassland and wet moorland from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
- Wild population It grows widely in the grasslands of Siberia and the Far East.
- Wild population It grows in the northern forest-steppe belt.
It grows widely across temperate and cold-temperate Eurasia and also occurs in parts of Europe and North America. It is not a cultivated crop, so the entries here were chosen by native range; of those, only China, where the plant is actually harvested and traded in quantity, is listed as a production area. A broad range is not something to paint across the whole map, so only the representative countries were kept.
- Optimum
- 15~25℃
- Range
- 5~30℃
- Hardiness
- Hardy
A perennial of northern origin, it grows in sunny grassland and along mountain ridges, and climbs as high as alpine meadows. It overwinters (survives the cold season) on a thick root and endures even the severe frosts of Siberia. In lowlands with hot, humid summers the clump flops open and the leaves spoil.
In Korea Nationwide
It grows in sunny grassland on hills and open ground throughout the country. In April and May the young leaves are picked while still folded, and from late summer into autumn the dark red flower spikes stand up.
How to grow
- Light
- A sunny spot. It grows in part shade too, but the clump sprawls
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining soil at least 25cm deep. It is not particular about type
- Spacing
- 30cm between plants. As a perennial the clump thickens year on year
- Watering
- Water when the surface dries. Once established it takes most droughts
- Feeding
- A little compost at planting is enough. Rich ground gives leafy growth and a thinner scent
- Harvest
- April and May. Cut the leaf with its stalk while it is still reddish and folded. Grown leaves are tough, so the window is short
What makes the difference. Blanch picked leaves briefly, rinse in cold water and wring them dry. Blanched too long, the cucumber scent goes entirely
Why this one is harder. The narrow April-to-May window is the real constraint. Once flower spikes begin to rise the leaves coarsen; treat the season as over and wait for the next spring
Common problems
- Aphids You will see Colonies under the new spring leaves What to do Wash them off with water. Since the leaves are to be eaten, strip them by hand rather than spraying
- Powdery mildew You will see White dust on the leaves at the end of the rainy season What to do Widen the spacing and thin the lower leaves for airflow. Remove affected leaves
- Chafer grubs You will see Spring shoots stall and the clump lifts easily What to do Dig around the roots and pick them out. Do not add unfinished compost
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
The old record — jiyu (地楡). The Donguibogam lists the root in its Herb section as Jiyu and records the Korean name as oipul. It gives a slightly cold nature while noting that some call it neutral, a taste bitter, sweet and sour, and no toxicity. It records that the plant grows in hills and fields, and that the leaves resemble elm leaves but are longer. It explains the alternative name Oksi, jade fermented bean, by the flowers and seeds being dark red like fermented soybean, and describes the root as black outside and red within. The root, it says, is dug in the second and eighth lunar months and dried in the sun. What an old medical text wrote differs from how it is judged today.
Tannins and saponins of the genus Sanguisorba. Analyses report the isolation of tannins and triterpene saponin glycosides from the roots of Sanguisorba species, and it is in the same work that the astringency of the root is discussed alongside its tannin content. These are compositional analyses and have no bearing on disease.
Where the names come from. The original explains jiyu (地楡) by the leaves resembling those of the elm (楡), and the alternative name oksi (玉豉) by flowers and seeds as dark red as fermented soybean (豉). The Korean name oipul comes from the cucumber smell released when a leaf is rubbed. This concerns the origin of the names.
Nutrition
- Tannins (especially high in the root) — the polyphenols behind the astringency
- Saponin glycosides (reported from the root) — triterpene glycosides isolated from the genus Sanguisorba
- Dietary fibre (young leaves and stalks) — the basis of the bite that survives blanching
What the cucumber smell is The cucumber note released by rubbing a leaf is discussed alongside the same aroma compounds found in cucumber and watermelon rind. Since the smell has to be there for the plant to be great burnet, it doubles as the easiest field check. Blanching thins it out and leaves a plain green scent.
A root high in tannins The root of great burnet is high in tannins, so a strong decoction keeps a heavy astringency — the same family of astringency met in persimmon or strong black tea. What is eaten as a green is the young leaf; the root is a separate part, handled as a herbal material.
Saponins of the genus Sanguisorba Analyses report the isolation of triterpene saponin glycosides from the roots of Sanguisorba species. This entry stays with the compositional record.
Young leaves only Grown leaves coarsen and stay tough even after blanching. The picking window is narrow — April and May, while the leaves are still reddish and folded. Blanch, rinse cold, wring dry and dress, and the scent survives.
Pairings
○ Dressed with doenjang — Dress the blanched young leaves with doenjang and sesame oil. What astringency remains in the leaf is softened by the salt of the paste. Season lightly, or the cucumber note disappears under it.
○ Vinegared with cucumber and sea mustard — A leaf that smells of cucumber sits naturally with cucumber and sea mustard in a vinegared salad. Chop the blanched leaves in, and use only a little vinegar and sugar. Eat it straight away, before it weeps. Cucumber · Sea Mustard (Wakame)
○ Namul over rice — Chop the blanched leaves, cook them on the rice and stir through a soy dressing. The scent is mild enough that other spring greens do not fight it. Trim the thick part of the stalk beforehand.
△ Gathering in the field — confirm it by smell — As young leaves, several rose-family plants look much alike. Great burnet has pinnate leaves with several pairs of leaflets and closely toothed margins, and rubbing them releases the cucumber smell. No smell, no great burnet — leave it. Do not gather at all beside roads or on field margins that have been sprayed.
△ Strong root decoctions over long periods — The root is a tannin-heavy herbal part; the green this guide covers is the young leaf. Do not boil the root strong and drink it like water over long stretches on your own judgement. If you take prescribed medicine, do not layer it on, and tell your clinician first.
△ Tannins and iron supplements — Materials high in tannins are known to interfere with iron absorption when taken in quantity at the same time as iron supplements or iron-rich food. Treat it on the same principle as strong tea: leave an hour or two between the supplement and the drink. Avoid strong infusions on an empty stomach as well.
Varieties
- Great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis) (seed) — Common in sunny lowland grassland. Short, upright flower spikes
- San-oipul (Sanguisorba hakusanensis) (seed) — Grows on high mountain ridges. Long, drooping flower spikes
- Ganeun-oipul (Sanguisorba tenuifolia) (seed) — Narrow, elongated leaflets. Found in damp grassland
Source: Donguibogam, Herb Section 地楡 · Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro)