Medicinal Monday - Astounding Bloodroot!

Many Native Americans are brought up with a rich cultural practice that teaches them that every living thing, plant or animal has a special purpose and a place in the world. Bloodroot has a long and fascinating history and was used by Native Americans in many ways from romantic pursuits to poison.  The Algonquin called bloodroot puccoon or paucon which means "blood red."  This name comes from the Powhatan Indian word, poughkone or pohcoons, which colonists in Virginia recorded as meaning red paint or red dye.

About Bloodroot

Sanguinaria canadensis or bloodroot is a beautiful wildflower that emerges in the spring and usually blooms between April and June in Connecticut. It is native to the Eastern North American woodlands from Nova Scotia through New England and can be found as far south as Florida. It is found in shaded areas surrounded by tall hardwood trees and prefers rich soil.

Bloodroot is a member of the poppy family and like its cousin, it contains opium alkaloids.  Bloodroot has an ephemeral quality because it blooms for only one or two days.  The plant reaches six to nine inches and the blossoms are about three inches across and have eight to twelve pedals making the flower rather large for its relatively small size.  

Medicinal and Decorative Uses

The name bloodroot comes from the fact that red sap is bled from the roots of these wildflowers.  This sap is used by many tribes as a dye for clothing and baskets, as well as for face paint.  The Chippewa dig up the roots in the fall and use the sap to make brilliant red dyes. The Iroquois extracted the rhizomes of the bloodroot plant to make an orange or yellow fabric dye.

In some of the Algonquin villages, bloodroot was associated with romance and men would wear bloodroot paint when they courted women. It was used as a charm by the young men of the Ponca tribe who would put the sap of this plant on their palm and shake hands with the maiden they desired to marry.  If this charm worked, the maiden would marry within five or six days.

Bloodroot was also widely used by Native Americans as a poison, and in small doses as an herbal medicine for treating ringworm, warts, polyps, fungal growths, and skin cancer.

Did you know....

Bloodroot depends on ants to spread its seeds. The ants carry the seeds to their nests and consume part of the plant discarding the seeds in their nest which is the perfect environment for germination.

Bloodroot does not have nectar, however, its large yellow anthers trick insects into transporting its pollen.

In the early years of North American settlement, bloodroot was exported to France and used to dye wool.

Today bloodroot is used in very small doses in herbal remedies to treat severe throat infections and bronchial problems.  An extract is used in some toothpaste to fight plaque.

The FDA considers bloodroot unsafe and discourages the use of this plant in herbal medicine.

The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 woodland acres the IAIS has an outdoor Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens as well as a replicated 16th c. Algonkian Village.  Inside the museum, authentic artifacts are displayed in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary exhibits from prehistory to the present that allows visitors a walk through time. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut and can be reached online or by calling 860-868-0518.

The Institute for American Indian Studies preserves and educates through discovery and creativity the diverse traditions, vitality, and knowledge of Native American cultures. Through archaeology, the IAIS is able to build new understandings of the world and history of Native Americans, the focus is on stewardship and preservation.  This is achieved through workshops, special events, and education for students of all ages.