(My personal experience)

As someone who believes in the body’s inherent ability to heal itself, I’d like to go over my personal experience in using bloodroot in dental care.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a lovely little woodland perennial with catchingly bright white flowers that only last a day or so. Its leaves grow increasingly lobed over the years, and if allowed to grow, will establish clumps and spread quite nicely. It doesn’t seem to mind the juglone in black walnut trees, either. Despite going out in mid to late March every year to admire the flowers, I can’t find a single picture to use. Hope that explains the beautiful sunset from last August. Moving was the best decision we could’ve made.

It has a convoluted history in American herbalism, as it’s a primary ingredient in “black salve”, a controversial treatment for malignant skin problems. Some people swear by it, others point to disastrous results. Of course there’s the question of adulteration in order to negate its effectiveness in some cases, but that’s another point. And sometimes a disease has advanced beyond an herb’s ability to help the body correct it, and that’s really where today’s medicine shines.

It’s also been used occasionally (and effectively) in certain dental applications, in both horses and people. The consensus seems to be that it’s only an effective dental treatment when both the mouthwash and toothpaste containing it are used and not swallowed. Other sources will point you to absurdly technical jargon followed by “nothing has been proven”. Check it out.

Returning to my personal experience, I’ve found that there’s a simple way to incorporate this tricky little plant into an occasional dental treatment.

I like to take a thumb length fresh root in Spring after flowering (or whenever if you have a reliable patch to pull from), and while wearing gloves (bloodroot is exceedingly acrid and also “bites” through skin, kind of like bleach or other caustic ingredients), slice it very very thin with a sharp knife. Then I place it in a glass jar and pour enough 50% vodka over it to cover the slices by about a centimeter or half inch. The alcohol will quickly turn a rich reddish orange, and with some shaking, can be used right away or left to sit for weeks or months, growing a bit stronger. I make sure to label this VERY clearly and keep out of the reach of children and/or irresponsible people.

To use, after a good brush and floss, I take a clean q-tip and dip it into the solution and then swab the troublesome tooth surfaces and gum lines. I like to focus on any extra sensitive teeth and gum areas, like surfaces where old cavities were filled, and anywhere that’s feeling tight, itchy, or irregular. Swabbing over every tooth surface and along the gum line takes a few q-tips dipped in the solution, but I like to do that about once a month. It also gives a healthy whitening effect. The alcohol has its own anti-microbial effects, and the bloodroot has its own actions. After swabbing, there’s some saliva to work with. I swish this around for about 10 seconds, and spit it out. I don’t drink or eat anything for at least half an hour after, and sometimes I’ll follow up with a “remineralizing” toothpaste later in the day. I make my own, but there are good options available commercially.

Well, that’s my personal experience. Just putting it out there.

After enough bad experiences with drill-happy dentists, I’ve had to find alternate means over the past 8 years. Enter bloodroot and a healthy diet. Munch those fresh carrots and radishes! My last visit was 3 years ago to pull and replace a back tooth – necessitated by a broken crown covering a root canal covering a lingering deep-rooted infection from 15 years before, itself a result from a compromised filling combined with my disgraced days of heavy smoking, candy chomping, and poor life options. Gotta be thankful for modern dentistry’s investment in tooth implants, but steadily adopting healthier life patterns is always a good idea.

Simply, teeth are bones (bones do heal nicely in the right conditions) that are intrinsically linked to your lymphatic system, so it’s important to take care of them.

Does today’s advanced medical industry support this herb’s careful use? Absolutely not. If that’s your thing, I’m sorry you had to read this. It must have been frustrating to read, and I’m sorry. I know the feeling.

All the same, try to have a nice day and grow something good!

(Quick note: you’d have a hell of a time marketing this stuff, so for the love of the sacred, don’t go over-harvesting this slow growing darling if you choose to carefully dig a root up for personal use. One root’s worth of solution easily lasts 6 months to a year.)