COMMON NAME : Goldenseal, yellow root, eye root, Indian turmeric, jaundice root, ground raspberry, yellow puccoon, wild circuma, eye-balm, yellow paint, wild turmeric, and yellow eye. Goldenseal refers to the root scars from old growth which looks like the old seals or stamps used to seal envelopes.

LATIN NAME : Hydrastis canadensis

ACTIVE SUBSTANCES : alkaloids (Hydrastine, Berberine, Canadine, Berber-astine)

MAGIKAL USES:
Gender:Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Powers: Healing, Money

Goldenseal is a member of the buttercup family found in the eastern deciduous forest from Vermont to Minnesota and south to Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas. Goldenseal is a herbaceous perennial 6-18 in. tall, with a single hairy stem which emerges in early spring (mid-March to early May) producing two five-lobed, jagged leaves, small flowers, and raspberry-like fruit which turns red and ripens in July. The root system is composed of a bright yellow, horizontal rhizome, similar to the iris rhizome, 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick, with cup-like depressions where the annual stem falls away.

Benjamin Smith Barton's "Essays Towards a Materia Medica of the United States" (published in three parts from 1798 to 1804) is one of the first sources of information on goldenseal. In the first of his Essays (1798) he wrote that the Cherokee used it as a folk cancer remedy, one of the earliest observations of the treatment of cancer among Native Americans. By the late 1700s, it was commonly used to help stimulate digestion and improve appetite, for treating skin and eye inflammations and for treatment of sore throat and common cold.

Native Americans used goldenseal as a dye and medicinal plant. The juice can be used to stain skin and clothing yellow and, when mixed with indigo it will produce green-colored dyes. The folk medicine use for treating sores and inflammations comes from the antibiotic effect of the active alkaloids, berberine, hydrastine, hydrastine hydrochloride, and canadine.

Regulations
Because of its endangered status in North Carolina, permits from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Plant Protection Division are required to cultivate or propagate goldenseal within the state. Status in other states is unknown at present.

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Warnings

Because Goldenseal contains potentially toxic alkaloid compounds, it should be used with caution and not used on a long-term basis. Not for use during pregnancy or by children under two. No long term studies of its safety have been conducted. In large doses of 2-3 grams, goldenseal can reduce the heartbeat, and in larger doses can cause a paralyzing effect on the central nervous system. Avoid taking the herb if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or glaucoma. Don't use goldenseal if you're pregnant or nursing a baby. 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. It has been said that goldenseal may disrupt the normal bacteria of the intestines. There is presently no scientific evidence that this occurs. Goldenseal will not (NOT) help you pass a legal drug test. Goldenseal, if ingested, can produce convulsions and should be considered poisonous as it irritates the mouth and throat and can lead to paresthesia, paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.

Disclaimer: This information is in no way intended to be a substitute for modern medical care. Do not self-treat any medical complaint without the guidance of a licensed health care provider.

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Current research information.

Berberine, the main ingredient of goldenseal, has shown activity as an antibiotic against bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, including Streptomyces, Chlamydia, Pseudomonas (pneumonia and meningitis), Giardia lamblia, and Candida albicans (yeast infection). Berberine is able to inhibit adhesion of bacteria (for example, group A streptococci) to a host cell by making the bacteria lose a major substance needed for adhesion (lipoteichoic acid) and by weakening and preventing the physical adhesion. Berberine helps the overall infection-fighting effect of goldenseal by activating a type of cell in the immune system called the macrophage, which is responsible for engulfing and destroying foreign and dangerous matter in the body. The folklore use of goldenseal as a "blood purifier may be confirmed through studies showing that goldenseal also supports the immune system by improving the blood supply to the spleen, an organ responsible for filtering the blood and thereby regulating the immune system.

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Reported health benefits

Goldenseal’s most common uses are generally inappropriate and it is frequently sold with the herb echinacea as an immune booster and antibiotic for prevention and treatment of colds. No study to date has shown the use of goldenseal root without concentration of the alkaloids support echinacea in the use as an immune booster or an antibiotic. However, note that goldenseal on it's own has both of the properties. The problem comes in the fact that the active alkaloid berberine is in such low levels in the oral doses that it can provide little or now benefit. All studies showing any benefits from the alkaloids are from concentrates and not from "natural," ground root without concentrating the alkaloids first.

The other myth is the belief that it can block a positive drug screen. This comes from a work of fiction published in 1900 by a pharmacist and author named John Uri Lloyd. In Stringtown on the Pike, Lloyd's most successful novel, a dead man is found to have traces of a toxic substance in his stomach. However, he had taken goldenseal as a digestive aid, and the toxicology expert misidentified the goldenseal as strychnine, and deduced intentional murder.

This created a connection between goldenseal and drug testing. Although the goldenseal in the story created a false positive, a belief grew that goldenseal could make urine drug tests come out negative. Don't try it, it won't work.

Goldenseal is generally considered effective for use against sore throat and strep throat, against bladder infections and against protozoa, bacteria, and fungi, including Candida albicans. Goldenseal is also used to alleviate the symptoms of colds, flu and other respiratory infections, mouth sores and sore throats, reduce symptoms of sinusitis, combat infections of the urinary tract and vaginal area, for a variety of eye infections, to heal minor cuts and scrapes, control diarrhea, canker sores, fight warts, cold sores, genital herpes and shingles.

For colds and other respiratory infections it is advised that gargling with a tincture of goldenseal or drinking goldenseal tea may relieve the sore throat. Taking goldenseal along with echinacea is reported to reduce the length of the illness.

Tinctures or teas can be made by steeping about one gram of dried root in a cup of hot (near boiling) water. Once cool, strainit and use as desired. However, note that goldenseal is bitter (very bitter) so, if used orally, be prepared to sweeten it or tough it out.

When used as a douche for yeast infections, do not use the sweetened mixture (there are suppositories available also for your convenience). Some say that a tincture is especially effective in healing sinus problems and may be used as a warm, irrigating solution that loosens and washes away the thickened, infected mucus that can cling to the walls of the sinus cavities. Goldenseal tea may aid in controlling urinary tract infections by flushing bacteria away from the urinary tract and the tea should be taken at the first signs of any such infection.

The tea or tincture may be used as an eye wash and might aid in control of eye infections.

Goldenseal may be made into a cream and applied to the skin to aid in fighting warts, cold sores, genital herpes, and shingles. It is also said that taken internally at the same time will aid in control of skin infections.

If you use goldenseal on skin for infections or wounds, use a cream, ointment or powder to completely cover the area. Remember to clean the affected area at least two times each day.

Goldenseal is said to be effective for acute infectious diarrhea. However, please note that diarrhea is a very dangerous condition and a medical professional should be consulted if the diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours or if symptoms of dehydration are noted at any time.

I'm not sure how much of all the above to believe and the suggestions should be regarded as unproven at present. There are active alkaloids in goldenseal and these do produce activity in the human body when taken in sufficient quantities. As Shakespeare said, "Aye, there's the rub." and sufficient quantities to activate the immune system might also activate internal problems or even poison the person taking the goldenseal. There is insufficient evidence at present to safely suggest any dosage for any disease or disorder. Everything given here is basically folklore and should be considered either dangerous or ineffective.

With that warning in mind, here are some commonly suggested uses and methods of application.

To make a cup of goldenseal tea, pour 1 cup of very hot water (not boiling) over 2 teaspoons of the dried herb, strain when cool. This may be used as a tea or tincture in the many ways suggested above.

A standard extract should contain 8 to 10 percent alkaloids or 5 percent hydrastine.

For colds, flu, and other respiratory infections take 125 mg of goldenseal (in combination with 200 mg echinacea) five times a day at the first signs of illness. Continue for five days, or as long as the illness lasts. (Note: colds usually last about that long so I'm not sure how effective this might be.)

Hints: Take goldenseal supplements with meals, sweeten it with honey, use sterile tools and containers, discard any extra solution at the end of each day, and limit your application of doses to recommended amounts, too much may be harmful.