Goldthread

Parts Usually Used

Rootstock, dried

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Goldthread is a low, small, perennial plant; from a slender, golden, creeping rootstock arise the basal, long-petioled, trifoliate, shiny evergreen leaves, each with three toothed leaflets, and the naked scapes, 3-6 inches high, which terminate in a small, white flower. Each flower has 5-7 petals and many stamens. Flowering time is May to August. The fruit is an oblong capsule or pod-like.

Another plant called Yellow root (Xanthorhiza simplicissima) is of the buttercup family also.

Where Found

Found in mossy, cool, woods and swamps from Labrador south to Maryland and west to Minnesota, Iowa, and Tennessee. Also in Canada, Iceland, Siberia, and India.

Medicinal Properties

Bitter tonic, antiphlogistic, sedative

Legends, Myths and Stories

The plant gets its name from the threadlike, bright yellow roots. The yellow color comes from the berberine alkaloid. And, of course, the name canker root came from the fact that the herb treats canker sores. The Native Americans and the colonists used the gold thread herb for any soreness in the mouth, but it is very bitter.

Uses

Herbalists historically employed the plant internally as a bitter tonic, particularly for complaints of dyspepsia and poor appetite. It was widely prepared as a wash or gargle for irritations and ulcerations affecting the mouth, throat, and eyes, and traditional accounts also noted its use for jaundice. Folk practitioners additionally recommended it to curb cravings for alcohol.

The plant contains the alkaloid berberine, to which traditional sources attributed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). , West Nyack, NY, 1987. 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