Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot,
Sanguinaria canadensis is sometimes known as Canada puccoon,[ 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.
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In bloodroot, the sap is red and poisonous.[ If applied to the skin, the extract sanguinarine may cause a massive scab of dead flesh where it killed the cells, called an eschar.
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Although there are laboratory studies indicating that sanguinaria may have potential in cancer therapy, clinical studies are lacking, and use is not recommended due to significant off-target toxicity.[
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Description
Bloodroot grows from tall. It has one large basal leaf, up to across, with five to seven lobes.
The bloom from March to May depending on the region and climate. They have 8–12 delicate white , many yellow , and two below the petals, which fall off after the flowers open. Each flower stem is clasped by a leaf as it emerges from the ground. The flowers open when they are in sunlight and close at night.
File:Bloodroot-apr-2010-clasping-leaves.jpg|Leaves clasping the flower stems in early spring
File:Bloodroot closeup.JPG|White petals and yellow stamens
File:Sanguinariapod.jpg|Fruit (a pod holding the seeds) in early summer
File:Sanguinaria.canadensis(02).jpg|Leaves after flowering
File:Sanguinaire du Canada.jpg|A carpet of leaves in late spring
File:(Root) wildflower.JPG|Rhizomes with orange flesh
File:Sanguinaria canadensis 009.jpg|Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade Quebec, Canada
Distribution and habitat
Bloodroot is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, and west to the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi embayment.
Sanguinaria canadensis grows in moist to dry woods and thickets, often on 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.
Ecology
Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. 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 instance Halictidae in the genera Lasioglossum and Halictus, in the genus Nomada, small carpenter bees ( Ceratina), and bee flies in the genera Bombylius and Brachypalpus. Some insects visit the flowers to collect pollen, including ( Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators, and at least one beetle species, Asclera ruficollis.
The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten by mammalian .
Cultivation
Sanguinaria canadensis is cultivated as an ornamental 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 of pollination, 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.
The double-flowered cultivar S. canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Phytochemicals
Sanguinaria root is rich in isoquinoline , mainly sanguinarine and chelerythrine.[ Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid (see phenanthridine), which, unlike most other alkaloids, has a red color in aqueous solutions. It is present in the greatest concentration in the , and the second greatest in the roots, with lesser amounts found in leaves and flowers.][ Related compounds in the plant are berberine and protopine, among other minor alkaloids.][
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Toxicity
Bloodroot produces benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, primarily the toxin sanguinarine. The alkaloids are transported to and stored in the rhizome.
Sanguinarine kills animal cells by blocking the action of NaKATPase transmembrane proteins. As a result, applying bloodroot to the skin may destroy tissue and lead to the formation of necrotic tissue, called an eschar. Bloodroot and its extracts are thus considered escharotic. Although applying escharotic agents (including bloodroot) to the skin is sometimes promoted as a pseudoscience home treatment for skin cancer, these attempts can be severely disfiguring.
Internal use is not recommended.[
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Alkaloid biosynthesis
Comparing the biosynthesis of morphine and sanguinarine, the final intermediate in common is ( S)-reticuline.
Uses
Traditional medicine
Bloodroot was used historically by Native Americans for curative properties as an emetic, respiratory aid, and other treatments.
Dietary supplement and warnings
Bloodroot extracts have also been promoted by some dietary supplement companies as a treatment or cure for cancer,[ but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration listed some of these products among its "187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid".][
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Commercial uses
Commercial uses of sanguinarine and bloodroot extract include dental hygiene products.[ Some animal food additives sold and distributed in Europe contain sanguinarine and chelerythrine.][
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Plant dye
Bloodroot is a red natural dye used by Native American artists, especially among southeastern rivercane basketmakers.[
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Research
Although limited laboratory research indicates potential for sanguinarine to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, there are no supportive clinical studies, and its use is discouraged due to and potential toxicity.[
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See also
External links
