BLOODROOT
BloodrootSanguinaria canadensis—PAPAVERACEAE
BloodrootSanguinaria canadensis—PAPAVERACEAE
Description:Perennial, low-growing herbs which appear early in spring in shady, moist wooded areas. The many-petaled, white flower frequently develops first on a stalk wrapped with a single large-lobed leaf. The large underground stem (rhizome) and smaller roots of the bloodroot contain an orange to red juice from which the plant gets its name. This is poisonous.
Poisonous Parts:The underground stems, roots, and their red contents. These contain several toxic alkaloids, chieflysanguinarine, which irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, and stomach causing intense burning, nausea, and vomiting. If absorbed, the alkaloids can affect the nervous system, depress the heart, cause coma, and produce temporary paralysis.
Antidote:Call your doctor. Have patient vomit, and then give warm milk. Physicians perform gastric lavage and treat irritated gastro-intestinal tract. In the event that much of the root material has been ingested and absorbed, measures should be taken to prevent circulatory collapse.