Native American Medicine: Bloodroot

Author: Ingrid Naiman

 

Botanical Name: Sanguinaria canadensis

Habitat: Eastern North America from the Carolinas up into Canada

Common names:  Bloodroot, red puccoon

Other Names:


Plant History

The medicinal uses of bloodroot were learned from Native Americans living in the region of Lake Superior . . . as well as the Cherokee further to the south although the Cherokee tended on the whole to prefer goldenseal. Both plants were called puccoon, red puccoon and yellow puccoon. Both are strong herbs with significant alkaloids that have been shown to be extremely effective in treating a wide range of conditions.

Habitat and Description

This plant is indigenous to the Eastern region of the United States and Canada. It was used by Native Americans for treatment of cancer as well as moles and warts.

 

 

Parts of the Plant that are Used

Bloodroot was prized for its root sap, an interesting exudate that remarkably resembles blood. The roots, usually used fresh, are made into washes, poultices, snuffs, dental powders, and escharotic salves, called red salve by Hoxsey, fixative paste by Dr. Frederic Mohs, black salve by some lay practitioners and Compound X or Indian Mud by others.

 

 

Plant Chemicals

Sanguinarine is the most interesting of the bloodroot constituents. It is an approved ingredient in some dental products as plaque inhibitor. Homeopathically, it is used to alleviate migraine headaches.  Other alkaloids found in the root include chelerythrine, chelirubine, sanguirubine, chelilutine, the opium alkaloid protopine, and sanguilutine.

Bloodroot Actions


Plant Uses

Bloodroot has significant anti-infective properties, so much so that it has been used in gangrenous situations in lieu of amputation. It has also traditionally been used on warts, fungoid tumors, nasal polyps, and periodontal infections, gingivitis, and plaque. With cancer, it has been shown to be most effective with carcinomas and sarcomas.

Bloodroot from a Clinical Perspective

That’s the metaphysical side. There is also a clinical side. Bloodroot is a systemic treatment. In all my years with herbs, I have never seen any herb absorbed so fast into the blood stream as bloodroot. Some people become nauseous after rubbing just a little tincture of bloodroot on the arches of their feet.

Bloodroot has been researched and determined to be a potent anticancer agent. Besides the laboratory tests, tens of thousands of people have been treated by lay practitioners as well as medical doctors for at least the last 150 years. Of these, roughly 80% experienced remission of malignancy and longer life expectancies than people with similar conditions who chose different treatments.

Still, it is always a matter of individual choice and for the 20% whose conditions were not ameliorated by bloodroot, it has to be said that the treatment is challenging and these people have every right to ask whether their efforts were warranted. Moreover, we never know before trying who will respond in the desired way and who will have to turn to some other treatment for relief.

Traditional Remedy

Harvesting

 


Tyler, age three, began his herb initiation young by helping to plant and to harvest medicinal herbs.  He is shown here holding goldenseal as well as a little bloodroot.

Contraindications

Bloodroot, fresh or dry, can be irritating to the nasal passages and skin. The plant is a potent medicinal herb and should not be used without proper understanding and guidance. Long-term use is not advisable, and pregnant women should only consider use if advised and guided by an experienced health care professional.

 

While the renaissance in the U.S. botanical market is positive in many respects, medicinal plant populations are suffering from loss of habitat and overharvesting, and many bestselling herbs are now at risk including echinacea, American ginseng, goldenseal, Hawaiian wild kava, and wild yam.

For others who want to grow goldenseal, read this book (available from Sacred Medicine Sanctuary) on Planting the Future, edited by Rosemary Gladstar.

$24.00

 

Seeds and rhizomes can be obtained from:

Native Medicinal Roots and Botanicals

Rod Angeroth, Owner
P.O. Box 877
Stanton, NE 68779
402-439-5256
Email
Order form

Strictly Medicinal Seeds LLC

P.O. Box 69
Williams, Oregon 97544
541-846-6704

Youtube channel

Bloodroot Flower
Dreamstime ID 57403917
© Kyle Horner

 

Bloodroot Budding Flowers
Dreamstime ID 67928401
© Amber Estabrooks

Goldenseal Rootstock
Dreamstime ID 41287118
© Dawngoss

Tyler

Many experts throughout history have regarded cancer salves and pastes as the most thorough, safe, and efficacious way to treat cancer, especially skin and breast cancers but also cancers of other organs. In this book, Ingrid Naiman meticulously traces the use of such products in ancient India and by Hildegard of Bingen, Native Americans, and modern physicians. She provides detailed instructions for making and using the salves, a fair comparison of the pros and cons, and eight pages of color pictures showing responses to the products. Visit her Cancer Salves site for more information, answers to frequently asked questions, and a checklist for people facing cancer.

 

 

Cancer Plants

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Copyright by Dr. Ingrid Naiman 2003 and 2018
All Rights Reserved || Institute for Invisible Epidemics