Blood Root

Despite its uncanny similarity to blood, this juice contains the toxin sanguinarine--named after blood itself--which kills cells and destroys tissue.

Yet it's this same property that means sanguinaria is being investigated as a cancer treatment. Investigations are inconclusive so far, but it's been used in alternative medicine for a long history. The red juice means it can be used as a paint or dye, and even today it's actually a commercially used food additive.

This plant is also prized in certain capacities by gardeners. Double-flowered mutations are especially showy, and last longer than the few days normal for sanguinaria flowers. They're considered nice shade plants, which bloom in spring and look at home in woodland-like gardens and landscapes. Though their bloom time is short, the plants are fairly easy to collect seeds from, making them fun and easy to propagate, and they'll flower for years with little care. It needs to be handled carefully in the garden, however, due to the properties of the juice of its leaves and roots.

Bloodroot is surprisingly renowned as an experimental homeopathic cancer treatment, despite very little studying having been applied to its efficacy. It's most commonly associated with treating skin tumors, harkening back to its history of being used to treat skin conditions. When it comes to treating serious conditions, however, this plant is likely best left off the table in favor of proven remedies. As an odd treatment for moles and skin tags, though, it seems unlikely to vacate the pages of herbalists' books any time soon.