* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
American Indians used goldenseal for eye ailments, skin diseases, gonorrhea, cancers, and as a dye and skin stain.
In recent years goldenseal in powdered or capsulated form has become a panacea popular for many ills.
A wash made from the roots is useful in conjunctivitis and other eye ailments. It is a useful tonic and astringent for treating inflamed mucous membranes of the vagina, uterus, mouth, throat and digestive system. Gonorrhea, jaundice, bronchitis, pharyngitis, ulcers, and many other ailments have been treated with goldenseal. Its action is antiseptic, antiperiodic, diuretic, astringent, tonic, and hemostatic.
The alkaloids hydrastine and berberine are the biologically active compounds in goldenseal. Berberine is responsible for goldenseal's yellow color and bitter taste. It has a strong antibacterial effect, increases bile secretion, is anticonvulsant and stimulates the uterus. In laboratory animals, it has acted as a sedative and lowered blood pressure. The properties of hydrastine resemble berberine.
General Herb Information
Goldenseal is a perennial with an erect hairy stem about a foot in height with three or four yellowish scales at the base of the plant. Each plant has two leaves seemingly forking about three-fourths of the way up the stem. One branch supports a larger leaf, the other, a smaller leaf and flower stalk. The leaves' lower surfaces have prominent veins. The leaves grow up to twelve inches wide and eight inches long. They are palmate with five to nine lobes, and have sharply pointed irregular teeth. At flowering time, the leaves are partially expanded and very wrinkled.
The flowers appear in late April to early May, lasting only three to seven days. The flowers are one-half inch in diameter and petalless. A round spray of forty to fifty stamens characterizes the flowers. The globular, fleshy, bright red fruits, resembling a large raspberry ripen in July or August. They contain ten to twenty black, hard, shiny seeds. The horizontal rhizome is knotty, about one-half to three-fourths inch thick, two to three inches long, with numerous fibrous rootlets. The root is intensely yellow. The plant, which usually dies down after the fruits mature, grows in rich, moist woods favoring beech canopy from Vermont to Minnesota, south to Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Propagate by seed, division of rhizomes, or by planting the "eyes" or buds from vigorous root fibers. Seeds need to be stratified before germinating. A mixture of two parts moist sand and one part leaf mold - finer than the seeds - serves as a good medium. Place in a refrigerator for three months and plant the following spring. Most first-year seedlings only develop cotyledons. One true leaf is produced the second year; two leaves plus a flower develop in the third.
Each rhizome is studded with rootlets and undeveloped buds. Any piece of root with a bud or "eye" and a few strands of fibrous root will produce a plant. On an average, about five plants can be divided from each mature rhizome. Plant one inch deep eight inches apart. Break the roots into pieces and plant in September. Often tops will not appear until the second summer after planting. Being a goldenseal cultivator requires patience.
A deep, loose, friable soil is essential. Four-inch layers of leaf mold can be added to beds, along with well-composted manure, wood ashes, and rock phosphate. The soil should be balanced to a pH of 6 to 7. Soil should be well-drained but moist, and 75 percent shade is necessary, provided by training vines, a tree canopy, or lath sheds. Beds must be kept free of weeds. You can expect 1,000 to 2,500 pounds of dried root per acre after five years.
Seed-sown plants are harvested after four or five years. Plants grown from root divisions may be harvested after three or four years. Spring-dug roots shrink considerably more than those dug in the fall.
Roots should be cleaned, then dried until brittle. When dry, the fibrous rootlets are easily removed from the main rhizome by rubbing.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Avoid use during pregnancy.
Those with ragweed allergies should use sparingly.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
