Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

and note that it can cause a false positive for opiate use on a drug test. Consult a medical professional before use. Recipes. Bleeding Heart Tincture: Finely chopped fresh or dried bleeding-heart rhizome to fill ½ a jar, 80 proof or better alcohol such as vodka or brandy. Place the rhizome pieces into a clean jar with a tightfitting lid. Cover the herb completely, filling the jar with alcohol. Cap and label and place it in a cool, dark cupboard. Shake the jar daily for 6 to 8 weeks while the tincture steeps. Strain, label, and store. Usual dosage is 10 to 20 drops of fresh tincture, and 15 to 30 drops if using dried roots. Use with care.

Bloodroot is mainly for the treatment of skin cancers, ulcers, and wounds that won’t heal. I have always known the herb as bloodroot, but it is also called redroot and red puccoon. The juice is red and quickly dyes the skin and has been used by the Algonquin Tribe to paint the skin for ritual. It is in the Papaveraceae (Poppy) Family. Use with great caution! This herb grows in eastern North America in moist thickets and dry woods and on floodplains and near streams. Identification: Bloodroot is a stemless, rhizomatous wildflower that blooms in early spring. The herb grows from 6 to 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm) tall. The leaves go dormant in mid to late summer. When the bloodroot flower is sprouting, it’s usually wrapped by one deeply-scalloped, grayish-green, palmate basal leaf. Bloodroot has a hermaphroditic flower that has 8 to 12 fragile white petals, yellow stamens, and two sepals positioned below the leaves, which fall off after the flowers open. The root is a blood-red rhizome that will branch out and grow new rhizomes. Medicinal Use: Caution is advised. Bloodroot is a toxic plant, and serious problems can arise. Use small doses only as advised by a medical professional or find an alternative plant. The root is used medicinally.

Skin Cancers, Ulcers, Moles, Skin Tags, Warts, Eczema and Other Skin Conditions:

Treating skin problems is what bloodroot does best. However, use with great caution and in moderate amounts as it will also kill healthy cells and can cause permanent scarring and sloughing of the skin. Traditionally, people made and applied a salve from bloodroot to the affected area. They covered it with a bandage and left it in place for a week or so. Usually, only one application is required, but extensive areas, deep lesions, or other tough cases may require repeated application. The bloodroot kills the cancerous or damaged cells and covers the area with a scab. Leave it alone to heal, and check the area to be sure that all of the cancer is removed so that it doesn’t

1 Bloodroot flowers, by UpstateNYer, CC by SA 3.0