Bloodroot : Uses, medicine, Synonyms, Effects, and Side Effects

Bloodroot is native to Central and Eastern Europe. The drug is mainly imported from Eastern European countries. The dried rootstocks (rhizomes, tormentillae rhizoma) that have been freed from the roots are used in herbal medicine.

Bloodroot: characteristics and peculiarities

Bloodroot is a perennial, up to 30 cm high, strongly branched perennial plant that forms prostrate shoots. The plant’s rootstock quickly turns blood red on freshly broken or cut surfaces, where the name “bloodroot” comes from.

The mostly 5-fold leaves are palmately pinnate and slightly hairy. The plant also has small, solitary, yellow flowers, which, unlike other rose plants, have 4 (rarely more) flowers.

 

What is the medicine made of?

The dark brown to reddish brown, irregularly shaped and challenging rhizome pieces are part of the cutting drug. Some of these are covered with black-brown cork; sometimes, you can see the whitish root scars.

smell and taste of tormentil

Tormentil rhizome gives off a very faint but pleasant odour. The taste of the rhizome is strongly astringent (astringent).

Bloodroot – application

When is Bloodroot used?

Tormentil is used internally in the gastrointestinal tract to treat non-specific, acute diarrheal diseases and bacterial dysentery. This is an inflammatory colon disease caused by certain bacteria (Shigella).

 

Bloodroot for external use

Externally, the drug is used as gargling solutions or rinsing water for mild inflammation of the mouth and throat mucous membranes. Also applied externally, tormentil should help heal wounds, stop bleeding and help with various skin diseases.

Bloodroot in Folk Medicine

In folk medicine, tormentil has been used internally as a remedy for diarrhoea (antidiarrheal) since the 16th century, externally for inflammation of the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat and wound healing.

Tormentil is rarely used in homoeopathy.

 

bloodroot ingredients

Tormentil rhizome contains 15-20% mostly condensed catechin tannins. During storage, these turn into less soluble phlobaphenes over time. There are also small amounts of ellagittannins, phenolic carboxylic acids, and triterpenic acid glucoside tormentoside, a critical substance.

Tormentil: For what indication?

Bloodroot can be helpful for the following indications:

• Diarrhea
• bacterial dysentery
• Inflammation of the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat
• Halsweh
• wounds
• skin diseases

Bloodroot dosage

Extracts of tormentil rhizome are included in some oral mucosal treatment solutions and sprays. For internal use, dry extracts of the drug are offered in the form of capsules, for example. There are no commercially available tea preparations, but you can easily make tea from tormentil rhizome.

Unless otherwise prescribed, the average daily dose is 4-6 g of the drug.

 

Bloodroot: Prepared as a tea

Add 2-3 g of the finely chopped or coarsely powdered rhizome to cold water to prepare bloodroot tea and boil it briefly. After a short infusion, everything can be put through a tea strainer. Alternatively, the drug can also be mixed with cold water for several hours and then briefly boiled.

To treat inflammation in the mouth and throat, rinse with lukewarm tea or a diluted tincture 2-3 times a day.

To make a tincture, 10-20 drops of the extract (drug extract with alcohol) are added to a glass of water.

Bloodroot against diarrhoea

In the case of acute diarrhoea, 2-4 g of the powdered rhizome can also be mixed up with red wine and taken. One cup of tea or red wine suspension should be drunk 3-4 times daily to treat diarrhoea.

 

When not to use tormentil?

Due to a lack of experience, pregnant women, nursing mothers and children should only take the drug after consulting a doctor. A doctor should be consulted if diarrhoea lasts longer than two days or if there is diarrhoea with blood and fever.

How to store tormentil?

Tormentil rhizome should be stored dry and protected from light.

Bloodroot synonyms

German plant name: Bloodroot

German synonyms of the plant: Bloodroot, Tormentill, Common Tormentil, Tormentillwurz, Ruhrwurz, Adderwurz, Redwurz, Redroot, Upright Cinquefoil, Dilledapp, Heideckern, Siebenfinger, Gastroenteritis, Gastroenteritis, Birkwurz, Christ’s Crown, Mooreckel

Latin plant name: Potentilla erecta L.

Latin synonyms of the plant: Potentilla erecta (L.) RAEUSCHEL, Potentilla officinalis, Potentilla tetrapetala, Potentilla tormentilla, Potentilla tormentilla Stokes, Potentilla silvestris, Tormentilla erecta L., Tormentill officinalis, Fragaria tormentilla

German drug name: Tormentillwurzelstock

German synonyms of the drug: Tormentillwurzel, Tormentilwurzel

Latin drug name: Tormentillae rhizoma

English name: Tormentil, Common Tormentil, Potentilla, Cinquefoil, Erect cinquefoil, Bloodroot, Septfoil, Shepherd’s knot

Plant family Latin: Rosaceae

Plant family German: rose family

 

Bloodroot – effect

 

Bloodroot: What is its effect?

The tannins in the rootstock form insoluble bonds with various proteins of the surface cells on the mucous membranes, which leads to surface densification. In the intestines, mouth and throat, toxic substances, bacteria, and viruses can only penetrate quickly, and inflamed or injured areas heal faster.

In the intestines, the amount of fluid that escapes into the intestines is reduced so that the stool becomes firmer again. Tannins are also responsible for the red colouring of the broken parts of the rhizome as they transform into coloured compounds in the air.

Furthermore, a lowering effect on blood sugar and blood pressure was observed, possibly due to the triterpenes.

 

Bloodroot: side effects

In rare cases, susceptible patients may experience stomach problems.

Tormentil should be used internally for a maximum of 3-4 days and externally for 2-3 weeks. Otherwise, the kidneys and liver may be affected.

Possible interactions

Taking tormentil and other plants containing tannin may reduce the effectiveness of other medicines taken at the same time. Therefore, these should be taken about two hours before taking tormentil rhizome.