User:Heathhunnicutt/Bloodwort

Bloodwort (Sanguinaria canadensis L.) is also known as Bloodroot, Red Puccoon Root, and sometimes Pauson. Bloodroot is a perennial flowering plant native to North America. Bloodroot has also been known as Tetterwort in America, although that name is used in Britain to refer to Calendine.

Bloodroot is toxic and should not be ingested.

On 13 Aug 2005, news media reported that Dan Raber (of Georgia, United States) came under felony investigation for dispensing bloodroot paste to women with breast cancer. It was reported that nine women developed disfiguring destruction of skin and underlying tissue. Reports also indicated that Lois March, M.D., who is a practicing physician in Cordele, Georgia, has also come under US FDA investigation for her role in prescribing pain medication to Raber's disfigured customers while their use of bloodroot was ongoing.[1][2]

However, the United States FDA has approved the extraction of sanguinarine (an alkaloid) from Bloodroot, for its inclusion in toothpastes as an antibacterial or anti-plaque agent. [3][4][5][6].

Bloodroot is a taxonomical member of Family Papaveraceae.

Bloodroot and the 250 (approx.) members of the Poppy Family [Papaveracea] are formed of approximately 26 Genera. Bloodroot is the only member of Genus Sanguinaria L.

Kingdom Plantae – Plants [7]
      Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants  
         Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants  
            Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants  
               Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons  
                  Subclass Magnoliidae –  
                     Order Papaverales –  
                        Family Papaveraceae – Poppy family  
                           Genus Sanguinaria L. – Bloodroot  
                              Species Sanguinaria canadensis L. – Bloodroot