Dicentra formosa- Bleeding Heart
/Growing up in the temperate rainforest of the North Cascades, I have a long held fascination with spring wildflowers. The ethereal beauty of the Trillium and the carpeted heart shaped flowers of the Bleeding Heart were the harbingers of spring after a long dark winter.
Bleeding Heart is a favourite of many of the folks I take into the woods to meet the plants. It has a way of being calming and the shape of the flowers become evident as you kneel close to the plant in the woods- It is pretty hard not to respond to the pink hearts of the forest floor.
The botanical name of bleeding heart is Dicentra formosa and even the name reflects its ability to capture attention- formosa means beautiful- and indeed, it is.
Beautiful in the wild and beautiful to spirit. But like many of the wildflowers that are medicines- they have the ability to heal- and harm. It all depends on the application, dose and preparation.
Ecology: Grows in the moist forests and along stream banks. The cascade foothills is the perfect environment for the bleeding heart and it is commonly found under alder, birch and cottonwood as well as mixed coniferous woods.
Parts used: The plant is harvested both in late spring in flower or you can return for the roots after the flower has gone to seed. A root only remedy is more potent than the whole plant but many herbalists prefer the milder remedy of the whole plant- using leaf, flower and root over the root only preparation. Bleeding heart is related to the poppy plant and has opioid type alkaloids, especially in the root. A whole plant preparation is effective yet has less probability of side effects and can be used by a broader population.
If harvesting the post flowering stage roots, be sure to scatter the seeds when you gather the root to help sustain the habitat.
To look at bleeding heart and its uses, let’s begin with the safest application. Flower Essence of bleeding heart will address emotional healing of the plant and the process is very safe-use of Bleeding Heart as a Flower Essence is the solarisation of the flowers in to water, no alkaloids are extracted so no alkaloids will be in the remedy- just the essence of the flower.
Another way to experience emotional healing with bleeding heart is to find this wild flower in its natural habitat and sit or lie down without disturbing its leaves and flowers. Communicate with Bleeding Heart for emotional healing of trauma or wounds of a broken heart.
Ask Bleeding Heart what she wants you to know about love and life. You never know what this beautiful plant wants you to know.
Materia Medica of Bleeding Heart in practice:
Bleeding Heart contains analgesic (pain relieving) alkaloids which slow communication from the nerves to the brain. This makes it effective for nerve pain and other high levels of pain. Bleeding Heart is safest applied topically or with the advice of a practicing herbalist.
Internal use of bleeding heart in tincture form is fine but cautionary- only as a VERY LOW DOSE botanical -Start with one drop of tincture.
Check in with yourself before and after taking the medicine. See where it lands in your body. Aside from a remedy for pain (specifically nerve pain) - Some find bleeding heart to be a healing remedy for trauma, emotional pain and supporting their ability to re-open their heart to beauty.
This powerful plant has been known to have an effect on the nervous system even when harvesting without gloves in sensitive individuals. I have personally had to stop gathering the plant after forgetting my gloves- I became dizzy and my legs were weak. This confirmed to me its actions on the nervous system- and also helped me to understand how the potency of the remedy is effective for extreme nerve pain. Bleeding Heart may be applied directly to abscessed tooth - now that’s powerful pain medicine!
Other applications include extracts of whole plant as liniment in small amounts for strains, sprains, pain. Bleeding heart liniment is best applied topically to the local area of pain- this is NOT a massage oil for full body application.
How not to use Bleeding Heart
Contraindications: Pain receptors of the body have evolved with plant anodynes (pain relieving plants) and will respond to bleeding heart especially in severe pain where the receptors are plentiful and the alkaloids of bleeding heart attach and relieve the pain. If there is no pain, the alkaloids do not "fill" the pain receptors and the side effects are extreme. Remember, bleeding heart contains alkaloids which stop communication from the nerves to the brain- so if you do not medically need the alkaloids- things can get weird. Dizzy, loopy feeling, sleepy are common side effects with misuse.
This is due to the body’s lack of open pain receptors which absorb the plants pain receiving properties. In a person who does not have the pain receptors to fill or use the alkaloids- the person will experience side effects.
Last, Bleeding Heart is never acceptable for individuals who have a diagnosed nervous system disorder unless recommended by their physician.
Preparing freshly harvested bleeding heart for liniments.