Goldenseal is often used as a multi-purpose remedy, having many different medicinal properties. In addition to working as a topical antimicrobial, it can also be taken internally as a digestion aid, and can remove canker sores when gargled with. Goldenseal is often used to boost the medicinal effects of other herbs it is blended or formulated with.
At the time of the European conquest of the Americas, Goldenseal herb was in extensive use among certain Native American tribes of North America, both as a medicine and as a coloring material. Prof. Benjamin Smith Barton in his first edition of “Collections for an Essay Toward a Materia Medica of the United States” (1798), refers to the Cherokee use of goldenseal as a cure for cancer. Later, he calls attention to its properties as a bitter tonic, and as a local wash for ophthalmia. It became a favorite of the Eclectics from the time of Constantine Raffinesque in the 1830s.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is a highly valued medicinal herb which has been collected from the forests in North America for hundreds of years. The historical range for goldenseal in the United States was very broad, ranging from as far north as Vermont and Wisconsin, south to Alabama and Georgia, and west to Kansas. It can still be found growing in patches in moist, rich, hardwood forests in much of this area. The core of the range now appears to consist of Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and eastern Kentucky. Over the years, goldenseal has been referred to by a large number of other names, including yellowroot, ground raspberry, yellow puccoon, wild circuma, eye-balm, yellow paint, wild turmeric, and yelloweye.
Unfortunately, high demand for goldenseal has caused a serious reduction in native populations. As early as 1884, dramatic declines in wild populations due to overharvesting and deforestation were documented. In North Carolina, goldenseal is an endangered species, making harvest from public lands illegal. In 1997, goldenseal was listed on Appendix II of the Convention for International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty monitoring trade in threatened and endangered species. This listing imposes controls on goldenseal trade designed to protect the species and encourage sustainable use. This has not stopped people from collecting it, however, and populations continue to decrease. Fortunately, cultivation of this herb is fairly easy.
Goldenseal can be taken for infections, inflammation, diarrhea, indigestion, cold and flu symptoms, menstrual disorders, gallbladder inflammation, and cirrhosis. It may have other uses as well.
Goldenseal root is available in capsule, tablet, and liquid extract forms at your local or internet health food store. Always choose from a name brand that specifies that the herb you are purchasing is from the root, because the root has the most biological active ingredients.
*Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Goldenseal is not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult with your professional health care provider before changing any medication or adding Vitamins to medications.
