Bloodroot, Cautions
Cautions:
Bloodroot is a medium-strength remedy with some chronic toxicity arising from its alkaloids. Dosages should not be exceeded, nor should this remedy be taken continuously without long breaks. Use in very small doses. Avoid using Bloodroot as a simple remedy, always combine with other herbs in a formula.
Large doses cause nausea, vomiting, headaches and respiratory failure. Do not use during pregrancy. For use under professional supervision only.
Its systemic stimulant effect makes it contraindicated for children, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and with any acute inflammation and glaucoma present. From energetic considerations, do not use with Blood, Yin or fluids deficiency present.
The association between Viadent use and oral leukoplakia.
Viadent usage and oral leukoplakia: a spurious association.
Sanguinarine and hypothalamic glaucoma. *
Adverse Reactions
Common: Dizziness, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, skin irritation, esophageal burning, burning of the gums, systemic burning, oral leukoplakia.
Rare: hypersensitivity reaction, angioedema.
Case Reports
An 87-year-old Caucasian man with a history of basal cell carcinomas self-treated a new basal cell carcinoma over his left nasal ala with a “black salve” (a combination of zinc chloride and bloodroot). This resulted in complete loss of the nasal ala .
Two men, one with unremarkable medical history and the other with metastatic colon cancer used bloodroot salves for treating their skin lesions. The lesions in both men grew worse after application of the salve requiring hospitalization.
A 63-year-old man diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma preferred to self-treat the lesion with the black salve product containing 300 mg of bloodroot, galangal, red clover, and sheep sorrel. After a 4-month delay with no improvement, the patient consented to Mohs micrographic surgery. But a few months later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and elected to self-treat with an oral black salve product and subsequently died.
A 60-year-old woman developed a large eschar on the right neck after using a blemish cream. The active ingredient in the cream was found to be Sanguinaria canadensis. The patient was treated with topical corticosteroids but was left with a scar from the healed eschar.
Deforming self-treatment with herbal “black salve”.Dermatol Surg. 2009 Jul;35(7):1152-4.
Consequences of using escharotic agents as primary treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer. Arch Dermatol 2002;138(12):1593-6.
An Internet misadventure: bloodroot salve toxicity. J Altern Complement Med. 2010 Oct;16(10):1125-7.
Herb/Drug Interactions
- Bloodroot may increase the risk of bleeding when used with anticoagulant, antiplatelet, or antiangiogenic drugs.
- Bloodroot may interfere with the actions of antiarrhythmic drugs.