Bloodroot
Parts Usually Used
Rootstock collected early in the spring, carefully dried, then ground into powder.
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Bloodroot is a small perennial plant, about 6 inches high. The finger-thick rootstock contains a toxic red juice when fresh; when dried it is yellow inside and brown outside. The leaves are basal, each coming from a bud on the rootstock; they are cordate or reniform in shape, palmately veined and lobed. The naked single flower stem is shorter than the footstalk of a leaf and bears a white flower with 8 to 12 petals arranged in 2 or more whorls.
Early spring blooming, North American poisonous wildflower of the poppy family. Blooms March to June, before its leaves appear and usually before the leaves on the trees emerge. Difficult to find in its woodland home. May be propagated by seed or division.
Where Found
S.
Medicinal Properties
Expectorant, alterative, stimulant, diuretic, febrifuge, sedative, antibacterial, emmenagogue, tonic, emetic. An overdose can be fatal.
Biochemical Information
Alkaloids including whelidonine, berberine, chelerythrine, sanguinarine
Legends, Myths and Stories
Bloodroot was used by the American Indians as a body paint and as a dye. A bachelor of the Ponca tribe would rub a piece of the root as a love charm on the palm of his hand, then scheme to shake hands with the woman he desired to marry. After shaking hands, the girl would be found willing to marry him in 5-6 days.
Uses
Historically, herbalists administered bloodroot internally as an expectorant for respiratory tract affections, sinus congestion, laryngitis, sore throat, croup, and asthma accompanied by thick phlegm. Traditional syrups combined the plant with ingredients such as cherry bark, eucalyptus, honey, or garlic, and it was sometimes paired with goldenseal. Practitioners also utilized it to stimulate digestion and the heart, while noting that different preparations could produce sedative effects.
Other historical internal applications included catarrh, dyspepsia, jaundice, rheumatism, and piles. Externally, herbal traditions employed bloodroot tinctures and ointments for various skin conditions, including eczema, rashes, ringworm, athlete’s foot, scabies, and warts.
How Sold
Tincture, powdered root Today, components of the root are used in minute amounts in commercial toothpastes and mouthwashes to fight plaque.
Warning
Bloodroot is a powerful herb. Some reports of nibbling the root has caused tunnel vision. Do Not Ingest. Do not use without medical supervision. An overdose can be fatal.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023