Natural, But Not a Cure?

text and photo : Norma A. Hubbard  August 2024

Often when I am researching plants, I am amazed that my siblings and I survived our childhood considering the number of poisonous plants we grew up around. We roamed our land freely, without supervision, without any guidance as to what we could touch or even eat. However, it does seem that kids have some natural instincts, and we did avoid some plants thinking they might be poisonous. Moreover, we were fortunate because our mother loved trilliums, so on Mother’s Day we picked lovely bouquets of these pretty, white flowers instead of another equally pretty, white flower, the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis L.) which is poisonous.

In spring before a canopy of leaves shades the forest floor, so many flowers can be found. Bloodroots are in abundance in May. As its name indicates, this plant does seem to ‘bleed’ blood. Bloodroots have a red sap that runs through the whole plant so that even the leaves, if cut, bleed red; hence the name, Sanguinaria which is derived from the Latin word sanguis which means ‘blood’. The ‘root’ part of a bloodroot is technically a rhizome which is an underground stem. The flowers do not have nectar, but bees do pollinate the flowers as they gather pollen. If bees do not pollinate the plants, bloodroots are able to self-pollinate. The seeds are covered with a substance, elaisome, that ants like to eat, then disperse the seeds which also helps with propagation of bloodroots. It takes two to three years for a plant to become established enough to flower.

It is interesting that this plant has its leaves and flowers on separate stems. The leaves act like little blankets at night as each flower is tucked inside a leaf, and the leaf opens with the light and warmth of the day. On cloudy days, the flowers remain in the leaves, which is smart as the bees are not likely to be out either. The white flowers may seem familiar as bloodroot is from the Poppy Family (Papaveraceae). Bloodroots are ephemeral, or short-lived, so we may only enjoy them for about two weeks before they disappear until the following spring. Bloodroots can spread easily, and plants often grow in large colonies in wet areas.

While researching possible medicinal properties of bloodroot, I originally found lots of ways to use bloodroots; in fact, some usages seemed just too good to be true, so I kept searching. I was not surprised to find that this plant has come under scrutiny over the years, including from the FDA. Recently, the FDA issued warnings to NOT USE “black salve” which includes bloodroot as a natural ingredient. The internet is full of recipes on how to make black salve, and this is the scary part because these sites claim that black salve can treat boils, moles, skin tags … and even cure cancer! The reality is that black salve is dangerous and actually causes health problems, and it certainly does not cure cancer, or any of the ailments it claims it can. It is a poisonous plant.

Additionally, it is not just the FDA who are issuing warnings about black salve. According to an article by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, black salve sales began in the 1850s in the USA after an American learnt that Indigenous Peoples used bloodroot to cure various illnesses. Although at the time black salve was considered “humbug” by the medical profession, it has nonetheless continued to turn up over the years as a cure for many illnesses. While today we might think it is ridiculous that people would use something so toxic as a cure, the article states people continue to use black salve as it is promoted as safe, easy to use, and natural. Be wary of the term ‘natural’, it is important to realize that just because something is natural, it does not make it safe.

Although I would not use bloodroots for medical purposes, it is a natural dye. Indigenous people used it to dye baskets, but we must be careful handling the plants as we now know bloodroot is poisonous. Finally, bloodroot was believed to be a good love charm, however, let us be cautious about believing that a plant can bring us love – instead, let us just love our natural plants and be cautious around nature!

Sources: Cornell Botanic Gardens, Cornell University [online]; Do Not Use: Black Salve is Dangerous and Called by Many Names, FDA 2020 [online]; Black salve in a nutshell (2018), The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners [online]