Many of us are no longer familiar with this herb, but in folk medicine it was highly valued as a protection against the plague. A salad with a cucumber-like flavour is prepared from the delicate leaves. Finely chopped leaves are added to salads, soups and sauces. Old Czech brewers used to add burnet root to beer to sharpen its taste.

Burnet has a bitter taste and a warm nature; it supports digestion and stomach function.