- R. Vanhaelen-Fastre and M. Vanhaelen,
Planta Med., 29 , 179 (1976).
- R. Vanhaelen-Fastre,Planta Med., 24 , 165
(1973).
- M. Nose et al.,Planta Med., 59 , 131 (1993).
6. W. Zeller et al.,Arch. Dermatol. Res., 277 ,
28 (1985).
7. G. Schneider and I. Lachner,Planta Med.,
53 , 247 (1987).
BLOODROOT
Source:Sanguinaria canadensisL. (Family
Papaveraceae).
Common/vernacular names: Bloodroot,
Indian red paint, red puccoon, red root,
sanguinaria.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A low perennial herb with horizontal,
branching rhizome bearing slender roots; up
to about 35 cm high; both rhizome and roots
contain an orange-red latex. The plant grows
in Quebec and in the United States from
New England south to Florida and west to
Wisconsin and Texas. Part used is the dried
rhizome, sometimes referred to as “root” in
the literature.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Both the rhizome and root contain benzo[c]
phenanthridine alkaloids (approximately
4–7% and 1.8%, respectively).^1 The major
alkaloid of the rhizome is sanguinarine, fol-
lowed in order of concentration by chelerythr-
ine, sanguilutine, chelilutine, chelirubine, and
sanguirubine.^2 Other alkaloids identified in
the plant include protopine, oxysanguinarine,
a- andb-allocryptopine, dihydrosanguilutine,
berberine, coptisine, and homochelidonine.
Also contains a reddish resin and citric and
malic acids.3–5
PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES
Sanguinarine has broadin vitroantibacterial
activity and also displays antifungal and anti-
trichomonas activities^2 and local anesthetic
property.6,7It has also shown inhibition of NF-
kB^3 , anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activ-
ities,^8 and antitumor activity in animals.^9 At
micromolar concentrationsin vitro, sangui-
narine inhibited the growth of human epider-
moid carcinoma cells through the induction of
apoptosis.^10 Protopine has shown platelet ag-
gregation-inhibitory effects in animals.^11
The majority of double-blind,placebo-con-
trolled, and other controlled and open label
trials of sanguinaria oral rinses with zinc and
sanguinaria tooth pastes (alone and in combi-
nation) have shown that the preparations are
effective at reducing gingival inflammation
and plaque and in decreasing symptoms of
periodontitis.2,12–20
TOXICOLOGY
Sanguinarine and dehydrosanguinarine were
implicated in the pathogenesis of glaucoma
in epidemic dropsy in India in the years
1880–1930 when it was found as a constituent
(approximately 0.5%) of Mexican prickly-
poppy seed oil (Argemone mexicanaL.).1,21
Although the contribution of sanguinarinewas
later disputed,^22 further studies found the
alkaloid inhibited Naþ/Kþ-ATPase activity
of the heart, which suggested that it could be
responsible for degenerative changes seen in
cardiac heart muscle of rats fed Mexican
102 Bloodroot
