Boodroot is a perennial wildflower native to eastern North America. Native Americans used bloodroot in traditional medicine for treating conditions including ulcers, rheumatism, skin infections, ringworm and fever. Bloodroot may also have anti-cancer effects, although its effectiveness for this purpose hasn't been verified through clinical studies. However, bloodroot can have adverse effects.
Use
Bloodroot is sometimes mixed into a paste with other ingredients and applied topically as an attempt to treat skin cancer. This is how bloodroot is used in a controversial alternative cancer treatment called Hoxsey therapy, available in Mexico. Some people may also take bloodroot extract internally as a potential treatment for other types of cancer.
Effectiveness
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration includes a number of bloodroot and black salve supplements on its list of fake cancer "cures." Black salve is a mix of bloodroot and other ingredients. Sanguinarine, one of the active ingredients in bloodroot, doesn't differentiate between cancer cells and noncancer cells, making its usefulness as a cancer drug limited, according to a study published in June 2003 in "Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology."
Side Effects
Bloodroot can cause side effects, especially when taken internally, including dizziness, nausea, skin irritation, vomiting, vertigo, burning of the gums or esophagus and swelling beneath the skin. Bloodroot can also cause white patches in the mouth that can't be rubbed off. These white patches, called oral leukoplakia, are sometimes cancerous.
Safety
Many herbal practitioners do not consider internal use of bloodroot safe, according to North Carolina State University. Using bloodroot topically to treat skin cancer can result in disfigurement. Pregnant and breast-feeding women and people with glaucoma should not use bloodroot. Bloodroot may also interact with medications, including those for cardiac arrhythmia and blood-thinning medications. Consult your doctor before using bloodroot or any alternative remedy.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid; July 2009
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Bloodroot; November 2010
- UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center: Hoxsey
- North Carolina State University; Bloodroot; Jackie Greenfield, et al.; September 2006
- "Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology"; Sanguinarine-induced Apoptosis is Associated with an Early and Severe Cellular Glutathione Depletion; E. Debiton, et al.; June 2003
