Sanguinaria

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"Bloodroot" redirects here. For the video game, see Bloodroots.
Not to be confused with the grass genus Sanguinaria, now divided between Digitaria and Paspalum.

Sanguinaria

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this 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,

only species in the genus Sanguinaria, included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to Eomecon
of eastern Asia.

Sanguinaria canadensis is sometimes known as Canada puccoon,[4] bloodwort, redroot, red puccoon, and black paste.[3] 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.

escharotic and can cause permanent disfiguring scarring.[3] If applied to the skin, the extract sanguinarine may cause a massive scab of dead flesh where it killed the cells, called an eschar
.

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.[3]

Description

Bloodroot grows from 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in) tall. It has one large basal

spring ephemerals
.

The flowers bloom from March to May depending on the region and climate.[8] They have 8–12 delicate white petals, many yellow stamens, and two sepals 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.[9] They are pollinated by small bees and flies. Seeds develop in green pods 4 to 6 cm (1+1⁄2 to 2+1⁄4 in) long, and ripen before the foliage goes dormant. The seeds are round and black to orange-red when ripe, and have white elaiosomes, which are eaten by ants.[7] The Latin specific epithet canadensis means of Canada.[9]

  • Stages in the life of bloodroot
  • Leaves clasping the flower stems in early spring
    Leaves clasping the flower stems in early spring
  • White petals and yellow stamens
    White petals and yellow stamens
  • Fruit (a pod holding the seeds) in early summer
    Fruit (a pod holding the seeds) in early summer
  • Leaves after flowering
    Leaves after flowering
  • A carpet of leaves in late spring
    A carpet of leaves in late spring
  • Rhizomes with orange flesh
    Rhizomes with orange flesh
  • Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade Quebec, Canada
    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 floodplains 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

mining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators, and at least one beetle species, Asclera ruficollis.[10][11][12]

The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten by

mammalian herbivores.[12]

Cultivation

A double-flowered form

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.[7]

The double-flowered cultivar S. canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[13][14]

Phytochemicals

Sanguinaria root is rich in isoquinoline alkaloids, mainly sanguinarine and chelerythrine.[3] 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 rhizomes, and the second greatest in the roots, with lesser amounts found in leaves and flowers.[3] Related compounds in the plant are berberine and protopine, among other minor alkaloids.[3]

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

metastasized.[16]

Internal use is not recommended.[17] An overdose of bloodroot extract can cause vomiting and loss of consciousness.[17]

Alkaloid biosynthesis

Comparing the biosynthesis of morphine and sanguinarine, the final intermediate in common is (S)-reticuline.[18][19] A number of species in the Papaveraceae and Ranunculaceae, as well as plants in the genus Colchicum (family Colchicaceae) and genus Chondrodendron (family Menispermaceae), also produce such benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Plant geneticists have identified and sequenced genes which encode the enzymes required for this production. One enzyme involved is N-methylcoclaurine 3'-monooxygenase,[20] which produces (S)-3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine and mendococlaurine from (S)-N-methylcoclaurine.

Uses

Traditional medicine

Bloodroot was used historically by

emetic, respiratory aid, and other treatments.[3][21]

Dietary supplement and warnings

Bloodroot extracts have also been promoted by some

premalignant lesion that may develop into oral cancer, although one review disputed this finding.[24] Viadent, a dental product containing bloodroot, was withdrawn from the North American market due to concerns about its potential to cause cancer.[3]

Commercial uses

Commercial uses of sanguinarine and bloodroot extract include dental hygiene products.[3] Some animal food additives sold and distributed in Europe contain sanguinarine and chelerythrine.[3]

Plant dye

Bloodroot is a red

rivercane basketmakers.[25] A break in the surface of the plant, especially the roots, reveals a reddish sap which can be used as a dye.[3]

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 adverse effects and potential toxicity.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ NatureServe (1 September 2023). "Sanguinaria canadensis". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Sanguinaria canadensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Bloodroot". Drugs.com. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Sanguinaria canadensis". Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Bloodroot Wildflowers". Wild Flowers Guide. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21.
  6. ^ a b c Kiger, Robert W. (1997). "Sanguinaria canadensis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  7. ^ a b c "Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis". Wisconsin Horticulture.
  8. ^ "Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot): Minnesota Wildflowers". www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Sanguinaria canadensis - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  10. ^ a b Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
  11. ^ Heather Holm (2014). Pollinators on Native Plants. Minnetonka, MN: Pollinator Press. pp. 164–165.
  12. ^ a b Hilty, John (2020). "Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)". Illinois Wildflowers.
  13. ^ "RHS Plant Selector – Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena'". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  14. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 94. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  15. ^ Don't Use Corrosive Cancer Salves (Escharotics), Stephen Barrett, M.D.
  16. PMID 12472348
    .
  17. ^ a b "Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis L.)". Horticulture Information Leaflets. NC State Extension Publications.
  18. PMID 15849302
    .
  19. ^ "PATHWAY: Alkaloid biosynthesis I – Reference pathway". Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).
  20. ^ "ENZYME: 1.14.13.71". Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).
  21. ^ Native American Ethnobotany (University of Michigan – Dearborn: Sanguinaria canadensis . accessed 12.1.2011
  22. ^ "187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid". United States Food and Drug Administration. Archived from the original on 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  23. ISBN 0721690033.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  24. PMID 10620468
    .
  25. ^ Nolan, Justin. "Northeast Oklahoma, USA." Society of Ethnobotany. 2007 (retrieved 9 Jan 2011)

External links

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