Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a perennial, herbaceous plant native to North America and Canada. It has been used for many purposes, by Native Americans, for centuries. It can be made into a salve, which has been proven very effective for removing a mole, or skin tag. Several products for treating moles and skin tags contain bloodroot, including DermaTend™.
The FDA warns against the use of bloodroot for anything, saying it is toxic, and disfiguring when used for removing moles. I find this to be misleading, as I myself have used bloodroot. It does destroy the cells of a mole, which are actually caused by a virus. The FDA claims that bloodroot will severely disfigure those who apply it to "skin cancers". This is where their findings become misleading.
First off, moles, and skin cancers are two different things. Moles can become cancerous, as can any cell, but they are not inherently so. The FDA sites a case, where an alternative health care practitioner prescribed bloodroot for skin cancer, and breast cancer. In these cases the tumors spread, and there was apparently disfigurement in the patients. The problem is, bloodroot is not recommended to treat cancer. If you have cancer, there are many treatments alternative to chemotherapy; however that is not what we are talking about.
We are talking about using bloodroot for removing non-cancerous moles and skin tags. The FDA claims that bloodroot may not remove all of the diseased cells, and that is partly why it is so "dangerous". This may have some truth to it, but we are not speaking of cancerous moles. It may be true however, that bloodroot may not entirely remove a deep mole, in one application. That is why it is nor a bad idea to have a dermatologist check you out before, and after removing a regular shaped mole with bloodroot. Although you may have to reapply the salve, you do not have to worry about removing all the "cancer", as we are not treating "cancer". At worst you will have not removed all of the non-cancerous mole, and will need to repeat the process.
In my opinion, bloodroot is very safe and effective in removing regular moles and skin tags. I have myself removed several moles with a bloodroot product. Some of the moles were completely removed easily and quickly (3 days), and some took longer and required multiple applications. If left on too long it can burn your skin, but you would have to leave it on for weeks! I myself have left it on my skin for four of five days (two or three is recommended), with slight burning, but no disfiguration. I could see how if you had skin cancer, and applied bloodroot to a skin cancer, it could be dangerous. The bloodroot would likely kill the cancer, and if the cancer had spread, it could cause problems.
That is why the FDA findings are misleading, and needed to be addressed. I have safely removed several moles with bloodroot. I suggest you find a good dermatologist, with some knowledge of alternative methods, before treating yourself. With that said, bloodroot is an effective way of removing a mole at home.
