| Sanguinaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Papaveraceae |
| Subfamily: | Papaveroideae |
| Tribe: | Chelidonieae |
| Genus: | Sanguinaria L. |
| Species: | S. canadensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sanguinaria canadensis L. | |
Sanguinaria canadensis,bloodroot,[3] is aperennial,herbaceousflowering plant native to easternNorth America.[4] It is theonly species in thegenusSanguinaria, included in the poppy familyPapaveraceae, and is most closely related toEomecon of eastern Asia.
Sanguinaria canadensis is sometimes known asCanada puccoon,[5]bloodwort,redroot,red puccoon, andblack paste.[4] Plants are variable in leaf and flower shape, and have been separated as a different subspecies due to these variable shapes, indicating a highly variable species.
In bloodroot, the sap is red and poisonous.[4][6] Products made from sanguinariaextracts, such asblack salve, areescharotic and can cause permanent disfiguringscarring.[4] If applied to the skin, the extractsanguinarine may cause a massive scab of dead flesh where it killed the cells, called aneschar.
Although there are laboratory studies indicating that sanguinaria may have potential in cancer therapy, clinical studies are lacking, and its use is discouraged due to significant toxicity.[4]
Bloodroot grows from 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in) tall. It has one large basalleaf, up to 25 cm (10 in) across, with five to seven lobes.[7] The leaves and flowers sprout from a reddishrhizome with bright orange to redsap.[7] The color of the sap is the reason for the genus nameSanguinaria, from Latinsanguinarius "bloody".[7] The rhizomes grow longer each year, and branch to form colonies.[8] Plants start to bloom before the foliage unfolds in early spring. After blooming, the leaves unfurl to their full size. Plants go dormant in mid to late summer, later than some otherspring ephemerals.
Theflowers bloom from March to May depending on the region and climate.[9] They have 8–12 delicate whitepetals, many yellowstamens, and twosepals below the petals, which fall off after the flowers open. Eachflower stem is clasped by a leaf as it emerges from the ground. The flowers open when they are in sunlight and close at night.[10] They are pollinated by small bees and flies. Seeds develop in green pods 4 to 6 cm (1+1⁄2 to2+1⁄4 in) long, and ripen before the foliage goes dormant. The seeds are round and black to orange-red when ripe, and have whiteelaiosomes, which are eaten by ants.[8] The Latin specific epithetcanadensis means of Canada.[10]
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Bloodroot is native to eastern North America fromNova Scotia toFlorida, and west to theGreat Lakes and down theMississippi embayment.
Sanguinaria canadensis grows in moist to dry woods and thickets, often onfloodplains and near shores or streams on slopes. They grow less frequently in clearings and meadows or on dunes, and are rarely found in disturbed sites.
Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread byants, a process calledmyrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also benefit from growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris.
The flowers produce pollen, but no nectar. Various bees and flies visit the flowers looking in vain for nectar, for instancesweat bees in the generaLasioglossum andHalictus,cuckoo bees in the genusNomada,small carpenter bees (Ceratina), andbee flies in the generaBombylius andBrachypalpus.[11] Some insects visit the flowers to collect pollen, includingmining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators, and at least one beetle species,Asclera ruficollis.[11][12][13]
The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten bymammalianherbivores.[13]
Sanguinaria canadensis is cultivated as anornamental plant. The double-flowered forms are prized by gardeners for their large showy white flowers, which are produced very early in the gardening season. Bloodroot flower petals are shed within a day or two ofpollination, so the flower display is short-lived, but the double forms bloom much longer than the normal forms. The double flowers are made up of stamens that have been changed into petal-like parts, making pollination more difficult.[8]
The double-floweredcultivarS. canadensisf.multiplex 'Plena' has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[14][15]
Sanguinaria root is rich inisoquinolinealkaloids, mainly sanguinarine andchelerythrine.[4] Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid (seephenanthridine), which, unlike most other alkaloids, has a red color in aqueous solutions. It is present in the greatest concentration in therhizomes, and the second greatest in the roots, with lesser amounts found in leaves and flowers.[4] Related compounds in the plant areberberine andprotopine, among other minor alkaloids.[4]
Bloodroot producesbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, primarily the toxin sanguinarine. The alkaloids are transported to and stored in the rhizome.
Sanguinarine kills animal cells by blocking the action ofNa+/K+-ATPase transmembrane proteins. As a result, applying bloodroot to the skin may destroy tissue and lead to the formation of necrotic tissue, called aneschar. Bloodroot and its extracts are thus consideredescharotic. Although applying escharotic agents (including bloodroot) to the skin is sometimes promoted as apseudoscientific home treatment forskin cancer, these attempts can be severely disfiguring.[16] Salves, most notablyblack salve, derived from bloodroot do not remove tumors. Microscopic tumor deposits may remain after visible tumor tissue is burned away, and case reports have shown that in such instances tumor has recurred and/ormetastasized.[17]
Internal use is not recommended.[18] An overdose of bloodroot extract can cause vomiting and loss of consciousness.[18]
Comparing thebiosynthesis ofmorphine and sanguinarine, the final intermediate in common is (S)-reticuline.[19][20] A number of species in thePapaveraceae andRanunculaceae, as well as plants in the genusColchicum (familyColchicaceae) and genusChondrodendron (familyMenispermaceae), also produce such benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Plant geneticists have identified and sequenced genes which encode the enzymes required for this production. One enzyme involved isN-methylcoclaurine 3'-monooxygenase,[21] which produces (S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine and mendococlaurine from (S)-N-methylcoclaurine.
Bloodroot was used historically byNative Americans for curative properties as anemetic, respiratory aid, and other treatments.[4][22]
Bloodroot extracts have also been promoted by somedietary supplement companies as a treatment or cure for cancer,[4] but the U.S.Food and Drug Administration listed some of these products among its "187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid".[23] Oral use of products containing bloodroot are strongly associated with the development of oralleukoplakia,[24] which is apremalignant lesion that may develop intooral cancer, although one review disputed this finding.[25] Viadent, a dental product containing bloodroot, was withdrawn from the North American market due to concerns about its potential to cause cancer.[4]
Commercial uses of sanguinarine and bloodroot extract include dental hygiene products.[4] Some animal food additives sold and distributed in Europe contain sanguinarine and chelerythrine.[4]
Bloodroot is a rednatural dye used byNative American artists, especially among southeasternrivercane basketmakers.[26] A break in the surface of the plant, especially the roots, reveals a reddish sap which can be used as a dye.[4]
Although limited laboratory research indicates potential for sanguinarine to inhibit the growth ofcancer cells, there are no supportive clinical studies, and its use is discouraged due toadverse effects and potential toxicity.[4]
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| Types of dyes | ||
| Traditional textile dyes | ||
| History | ||
| Craft dyes | ||
| Reference | ||
