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Botanical illustration of Bloodroot
MedicinalSourced entry

Bloodroot

Sanguinaria canadensis

A woodland wildflower whose red root sap was used by Indigenous peoples for fever and rheumatism. It's an ingredient in black salve, a corrosive paste that has caused severe disfiguring injuries.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • Toxicity2 notes →

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Bloodroot?

Plant family
Papaveraceae, the poppy family
Parts used
The root and its red sap
Where it grows
Eastern North America
Genus
Sanguinaria
Species
canadensis

Also called

Canadian Bloodroot

Traditionally used for

  • Fever
  • Rheumatism
  • Coughs

Traditionally described as

  • Corrosive (in black salve)

Traditions that use it

Natural compounds

Sanguinarine

Safety

Side effects

  • Open wounds from black salve often become infected and may need care from several medical specialists.[1]Study

Toxicity testing

  • Bloodroot is a common ingredient of black salve, a corrosive paste sold as a skin cancer cure. Black salve destroys healthy skin as well as diseased skin. One man needed 17 plastic surgeries over 3 years to repair his face. The US FDA has documented at least 24 such injuries.[2]Study

  • Mouthwashes containing bloodroot compounds were withdrawn after they were linked to leukoplakia, white patches in the mouth that can turn into cancer. The patches didn't go away after people stopped using the mouthwash.[3]Study

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • Indigenous peoples of North America used bloodroot for fever and rheumatism and to cause vomiting. In homeopathy it's used for coughs, sore throat and menopause symptoms, though these effects haven't been proven.[2]Study

  • Native Americans used bloodroot for many conditions. Some tribes took small doses to stop vomiting and larger doses to cause it, older people drank it as a tea for rheumatism, and the Rappahannock used it for fever. It was also prized as a red skin dye.[3]Study

In short

Never put black salve or bloodroot paste on your skin; it destroys healthy tissue.

Sources

  1. [1] Black Salve: A Dangerous Corrosive Disguised as an Alternative Medicine · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.41248Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Black Salve (or escharotics). A picture about an unorthodox medical preparation in oncology · DOI: 10.1002/ski2.241Peer-reviewed study
  3. [3] Sanguinaria canadensis: Traditional Medicine, Phytochemical Composition, Biological Activities and Current Uses · DOI: 10.3390/ijms17091414Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.