Goldenseal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Hydrastis canadensis L. |
Goldenseal (Orange-root, Orangeroot; Hydrastis canadensis) is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock as well as its large, rounded leaves.
Goldenseal is often used as a multi-purpose remedy, having many different medicinal properties. In addition to working as a topical antibiotic, it can also be taken internally as a digestion aid. Goldenseal may be purchased in salve, tablet, liquid herbal extract form, or as a bulk powder. It is often marketed as a "cleanser" to prepare for drug tests, but its actual efficacy as such is unknown. Goldenseal is often used to boost the medicinal effects of other herbs it is blended or formulated with.
A second species from Japan, previously listed as Hydrastis palmatum, is sufficiently distinct that it is now usually treated in a separate genus, as Glaucidium palmatum.
Goldenseal is potentially toxic, and should not be used for more than one week at a time. It should not be used at all during pregnancy, except as prescribed by a qualified herbalist.
Contents |
[edit] Warnings
Because Goldenseal contains potentially toxic alkaloid compounds (hydrastine and berberine), it should be used with caution and not used on a long-term basis. In high doses, goldenseal and some of its components can cause fatal respiratory failure. Taking goldenseal over a long period of time can reduce absorption of B vitamins. Berberine has a stimulant effect on the heart, and it can potentially interfere with the anticoagulant activity of heparin. In lab tests, goldenseal was found to deplete sperm count in monkeys and apes (Dr. Hotaki).
[edit] Endangered status
Goldenseal is in serious danger due to overharvesting. There are several berberine-containing plants that can serve as useful alternatives, including Oregon grape root. Many herbalists urge caution in choosing products containing goldenseal, as they may have been harvested in an unsustainable manner as opposed to having been organically cultivated.
[edit] Literature
- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
- John Uri Lloyd (1908). Hydrastis canadensis. Lloyd Library, Cincinnati. PDF
