Goldenseal
Parts Usually Used
Roots and rhizomes
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
A perennial hairy plant with a knotted yellow rhizome. It has one long-stalked basal leaf and a single stem, 6-12 inches long, with two leaves near the top; leaves are large, wrinkled and palmately cleft. Usually 2 leaves on a forked branch; one leaf larger than the other; each rounded, with 5-7 lobes; double toothed. Solitary terminal flower has three whitish sepals which soon fall and many greenish-white stamens in clusters.
Fruit is head of small red raspberry-like fruit. Goldenseal is difficult to cultivate. The bright yellow roots of goldenseal are one of the most widely consumed products sold through health and natural food stores. The plant grows in colonies. Individual plants have 1-2 leaves. The flowers lack petals but have numerous stamens. Flowers April-May. The wild plant is scarce now and is cultivated for medicinal uses.
Where Found
Originally found in rich woods from Vermont to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Arkansas, as far west as Nebraska. Wild plants are now rare or extinct in many places due to over-correcting.
Medicinal Properties
), ophthalmicum (remedy for diseases of the eye), antiperiodic (prevents the periodic recurrence of attacks of a disease; as in malaria), aperient (mild or gentle laxative), diuretic, antiseptic, and deobstruent (removes obstructions by opening the natural passages or pores of the body).
Biochemical Information
Albumin, alkaloid berberine, biotin, calcium, candine, chlorine, choline, chologenic acid, fats, hydrastine, inositol, iron, lignin, manganese, volatile and essential oils, PABA, phosphorus, potassium, resin, starch, sugar, B complex, and vitamins A, C, and E.
Legends, Myths and Stories
The aborigines of northern Australia were the first recorded as using goldenseal as far as can be determined. Also used as an insect repellent. The knowledge of goldenseal’s value came from the Native Americans by early trappers, hunters, and adventurers. It grows in small colonies in rich woods. The leaves of the forest trees provide a leaf mulch which blend over winter to provide renewed fertilizer for goldenseal.
Goldenseal was highly regarded by the Cherokee Indians as a bitter tonic and also as an external remedy for various complaints. Early writers credited the Cherokees with introducing the plant to the settlers. Later, the medical profession took an interest in the herb and many reports of its use began to appear in medical writings. In reference to goldenseal, 1820 given as a strong tea for indigestion.
1833, review listed heartburn and morning sickness.
Uses
The Cherokee traditionally applied goldenseal to arrow wounds and skin ulcers. Historical herbal traditions viewed the bitter plant as a broad remedy, attributing to it cleansing properties and the ability to support the heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, colon, and the lymphatic and respiratory systems. Herbalists recommended it for digestive complaints, food allergies, glandular swelling, and earaches, and utilized it as a laxative.
It was historically administered for menstrual irregularities, painful menses, and uterine bleeding, as well as for respiratory catarrh, sinusitis, and hay fever. Folk practitioners also employed it for bladder inflammation, prostate disorders, and canker sores. Externally, herbalists prepared infusions of goldenseal for use as an eyewash, a mouthwash for irritated gums, a wash for hemorrhoids, and a topical application for eczema, ringworm, and general skin irritations.
How Sold
The powdered root can be purchased from herbal suppliers.
Warning
Caution: Do not use during pregnancy. (It is a uterine stimulant) Caution: Eating the fresh plant produces ulcerations and inflammation of mucous tissue. Do not use as eardrops if there is a chance the ear drum is perforated. This herb can raise blood pressure; do not use if there is a history of high blood pressure. Do not use this herb if there is a condition of emaciation, neurasthenia, vertigo, or chronic debility.
Goldenseal has a negative impact on the good intestinal flora and has many of the contraindications of antibiotic drugs Scientists have disproved the rumor that goldenseal masks morphine in urine tests. Long-term use may weaken the bacterial flora of the colon. When combined with gotu kola, goldenseal acts as a brain tonic. Used for many ailments by the Native Americans, goldenseal has been called “one of the most wonderful remedies in the entire herb kingdom”; this claim has not been proven, and the plant is considered unsafe for internal consumption by many experts.
In large doses Goldenseal is very poisonous. Do not use longer than 2 weeks at a time.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co.
(1988). , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Indian Uses of Native Plants , by Edith Van Allen Murphey, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1958, print 1990 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). , Special Sale Catalog, 1996 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.
The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974