Bleeding Heart

This weeks plant was Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa).

Bleeding heart can be found growing in moist forests, ravines, and stream banks at low to middle elevations. The plant is found from Southwest BC to Santa Cruz and along the Sierra Nevada crest from Fresno County northwards. Bleeding heart can be found growing sporadically in Alberta, Idaho and Montana in the wetter areas of the Rocky Mountains.

Bleeding heart grows from long succulent rhizomes that run just under the surface of the forest floor. Bleeding heart has long stemmed leaves, basal, that are very much divided into the ultimate segments which are narrowly oblong. Parsley like in appearance the leaves are also described as being fern like or feathery. Light green in color. Heart shaped inflated beautiful flower. Pinkish-purple to pale pink in color. Flowers grow in clusters of 5 to 15 atop stem. The fruits of the bleeding heart are pod-like capsules containing several black shining seeds with a small white, oil-rich appendage that is attractive to ants, which disperse the seeds.

The roots are gathered in the late summer and early fall, until the leaves have all turned. Gather the leaves in the summer, just after the seed pods are ripe. Sow the seeds as you gather the leaves to help in regrowth.

From our working with the field guides we found that:

Crushed plant tea makes a good hair rinse that makes the hair grow.

A tincture of the root is an anti-anxiety medicine and a bit of a narcotic. The isoquinoline alkaloids present in the plant are the same alkaloids we find in opiates.

American Indian groups chewed the raw roots to alleviate toothache.

The entire plant can be used in a poultice as a topical analgesic. The pain dulling action of the fresh plant can be sped up by applying a hot, moist towel with a little bit of tincture underneath.

As a tonic, Bleeding Heart increase appetite, stimulates liver function, and helps anabolic functions.

Tonics are substances to strengthen and prevent disease especially chronic disease.

Bleeding Heart tonic was at one time used as a tonic for syphilis. It was also used for impaired kidney function and mild tendency for edema.

Not for use during pregnancy. May induce a false positive for tests for opiates.

This weeks session was a good one. I really enjoy working with this plant, as I have found its uses as a wilderness first aid and an in town aid to dealing with the stresses of life to be beyond value.

I gathered this crop of roots from the yard of Chris Runyard. The ease of cultivating Bleeding Heart is another endearing quality of the plant. If placed in the proper aspect to the sun and in a decent quality soil, those creeping rhizomes will spread and you will find that after a few years, quite a patch has been formed.

I was able to stroll over to Chris's house an hour before session, gather up the plant, roots, leaves and all and then still have time to get some pizza before start time. Already my stress levels were reduced...and I did not need to drive anywhere.

I first started to experiment with Bleeding Heart back in 2001. Post 9-11 reality was becoming quite surreal and I had a one month old daughter at the time who refused to sleep through the night and a wife who refused to get up at 3:30 am. I would wake up, take some of the tincture, and take the most mellow, dreamy walks with my daughter as the chilly November nights saw the dog star Sirius rising to chase the heels of Orion.

I would hold my blanket wrapped daughter in my arms and sink into a mellow mood as I walked around the quiet streets of our neighborhood. She would always fall back asleep and then, I , quite relaxed, would fall asleep shortly thereafter.

When we get to the medicine taking portion of the yearly round of the Medicine Club, I will detail further experiments I have conducted with the plant. I have been very impressed with the various applications of Bleeding Heart for relaxing, healing, and calming the metaphorical heart.

Back to this weeks class...

We had Jon, Jes, Mikaela, Eva, Amitai, Chris, Marion, Gretchen, and Yael all in attendance. We went through he process of getting to know Bleeding Heart through our senses of touch, sight, and smell. A few people even chewed on the root to taste it.

We then poured through the field guides to identify the Bleeding Heart. Please note that Poison Hemlock shares a similar leaf shape!!! This could cause a deadly mix up if you were to confuse the early season leaves. Later on in the growth cycle, the two plants become quite distinguishable.

After a tea break, we did the two drawings of the plant. We drew both the leaves and the roots. I showed the class a picture of Jude Siegal, my teacher who taught me the spirit drawing method. We then went about the process of doing a spirit drawing for Bleeding Heart.

After the drawing sessions, the roots were removed from the leaf stems and taken downstairs to be washed. The clean roots were taken back upstairs and chopped up. The chopped roots were placed into a mason jar and some fine brandy was poured over the roots until the jar was full.

This concoction will now sit for the next six to twelve weeks as the medicine makes. After that time the plant material will be strained out and we will have a tincture of Bleeding Heart.

Thank you to all in attendance, I look forward to the next session!