When I searched the garden for emerging Bloodroot on Thursday, there was nothing but a mulch of Oak leaves. Today, clusters of white blooms cradled by curved leaves have pushed their way past Autumn leaf debris. Beautiful Bloodroot is in bloom.
Bloodroot is a perennial plant that likes to live in rich woods from Nova Scotia south to Florida, and as far west as Manitoba and Nebraska. It is a North American native plant. The plants grow in colonies, spreading through self seeding. They seem to prefer slopes and hillsides. Appearing as one of Nature’s earliest wildflowers (usually early May in our region, but can be earlier), the single flower rises before the single leaf. Each flower lasts only a few days before the petals fall. Bloodroot is a member of the Poppy Family (Papaveraceae). The flower is pure white with eight to twelve petals. The leaf emerges from the cold ground rolled around the flower stem and gradually unfurls a flat round leaf cut into 5-9 lobes. The leaf and stem produce a deep orangey red sap when broken. The root itself is red, as one might expect from the name.
It is thought that Bloodroot flowers may be self-pollinating because they often bloom before bees and other insects are active. If the bloom is late enough, visiting insects will find no nectar, simply abundant pollen. The blossoms appear inviting enough to attract insects with their bright yellow stamens. These stamens form a close-fitting ring around the stigma which enables the ejected pollen to reach the stigma and pollinate it quite easily. Many of Nature’s earliest blooming wildflower species are able to produce seed in this way with or without the aid of insects.
The sap of the Bloodroot is copious and will stain anything it contacts a deep reddish orange. Native Americans used Bloodroot juice combined with animal fat to paint their faces, dye baskets, decorate weapons and tools, and dye clothing. The European settlers also began to use Bloodroot as a dye, especially for wool, using alum as a mordant. It was exported for a time to France for this purpose.
Young men of the Ponca tribe would put the juice of the root on their palm and arrange to shake the hand of the particular young woman they wished to marry. Presumably this would stain her hand as well, a constant reminder of the affection of her suitor.
According to tribal lore, within just a few days the young girl would be willing to marry her bloodroot stained beau.
Along the same lines, magickal practitioners today put a dried piece of Bloodroot in their pocket or mojo bag. It is felt that carrying the root will cause them to be treated with respect by those who might ordinarily not pay them much attention. This is much safer and more comfortable than applying the juice, however dilute, to the skin, as Bloodroot is an escharotic (a substance that irritates and kills tissue). Bloodroot was used by the old eclectic practitioners against cancers of all kinds. Hoxsey called his escharotic salve made from Bloodroot, “red salve”. It has also been called “fixative paste”, “Compound X”, or “Indian Mud”. The escharotic action can be used to advantage when employing Bloodroot as a counterirritant against warts and other skin growths. It is the main ingredient in “Black Salve”
Some herbals, especially those written for general audiences, warn that the poisonous action of the plant is so strong that it must never be ingested, or even used topically without medical supervision. While it is true that an overdose can be fatal, it would be quite difficult to consume enough of the herb to cause death. The taste is terrible and it acts as an emetic in large doses.
Native Americans taught the Europeans to place a few drops of the juice of Bloodroot on a lump of maple sugar. This was then sucked to relieve coughs and sore throats. The sugar masked the unpalatable taste of the Bloodroot sap. The Algonquins, taking note of the blood-like sap used it as a medicinal blood purifier. Other Native Americans used Bloodroot to calm cramps, stop vomiting, induce abortions, and repel insects.
James Duke claims to have experienced tunnel vision after chewing a portion of the root. Duke advises against ingestion. On the other hand, Gladys Tantaquidgeon, a Mohegan who documented the folk medicines of northeastern United States tribes, notes that a pea-sized piece of root is taken every morning for 30 days for the purpose of improving general debility. As always, use this plant with caution and respect.
Powdered Bloodroot is useful as a snuff for nasal polyps. I have successfully used a drop or two of tincture in a neti pot to wash out my sinuses and shrink polyps.
Bloodroot is also a popular ingredient in dental preparations. Bloodroot came into widespread use for this purpose in 1983, when Vipont Pharmaceuticals introduced Viadent toothpaste and mouth rinse, which both contained Bloodroot extract which was touted as being excellent for reducing the growth of plaque. The American Dental Association even endorsed the extract, called sanguinarine, as a promising plaque-fighter. A former surgeon general of the Army Dental Corps proclaimed it “the best thing that's happened since fluoride. What fluoride has done in fighting tooth decay, this material will do in preventing gum disease.”
The physical healing powers of Bloodroot are also present in the flower essence without any fear of overdose. There is some physical action similar to that of the herb as a gentle blood cleanser. Bloodroot flower essence has the ability to ease both the radiation and heavy metal miasms. It aligns the mental and spiritual bodies. The healing theme addressed by this essence is one of balance, concentration and focus. Bloodroot flower essence helps those who need to focus, especially when difficulty with concentration is an inherited family trait. It is useful in meditation, aiding one in entering the alpha state more easily. It helps with self transformation, especially if there is a feeling of social isolation. Someone who takes this essence is more likely to seek help from the community around them by communicating their problems and issues in an appropriate way, dealing with them, and enhancing their feelings of self-acceptance and worthiness Old emotional wounds are healed and there is an understanding of the divine purpose for which we entered the Earth plane. We reach the understanding that we are the sum of our experiences and we can now embrace our “roots” as part of the path that has led us to enlightenment.
Bloodroot is a masculine plant associated with Mars and the element of Fire.
