Herb Of The Week - Goldenseal - The Mysteries & Myths

[Guest guest]

A little article about Goldenseal ...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom - packing up the very last of the co-op orders)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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Goldenseal: The Mysteries & Myths

 

http://herbalmusings.com/Goldenseal.htm

 

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Author: Karyn <http://herbalmusings.com/kmaier_portfolio.htm>

Siegel-Maier

 

 

Goldenseal (Hydrastis candensis) has been touted as a panacea for nearly

everything from eye infections to hemorrhoids. One of the best-selling

herbs in history, over-harvesting and deforestation also play a role in

making this herb one of the most expensive and endangered. By the turn

of the 20th century, more than 300,000 pounds of goldenseal root were

harvested annually. Empowered with such widespread adoration for more

than 200 years, you would think the scientific community would have paid

some attention to this herb. But, the fact remains that very few studies

have been done to investigate goldenseal's medicinal powers, the most

recent dating to 1950.

 

 

Goldenseal inherited its name from the 19th-century herbalist Samuel

Thompson, who likened the cup-like ridges on the upper rhizome as being

akin to wax letter seals. The rhizome, or root, possesses a vivid hue of

yellow, making it very distinctive in appearance. European settlers

learned to use goldenseal from the American Indian. Known as " yellow

puccoon " to the Cherokees, the juice of goldenseal root was a popular

remedy for sores and wounds. The Cherokee also used goldenseal root to

make a dye for clothing and ceremonial face paint. When ground and

applied with bear grease, it served as an insect repellent.

 

 

Goldenseal earned an entry in both the British Pharmacopoeia and U.S.

Pharmacopoeia in 1860, but the herb appeared frequently in the

literature of the 17th and 18th centuries as well. In his Medical Flora,

Rafinesque wrote about the Native American's use of goldenseal as a

treatment for urinary infection. He was the first to describe and name

one of the major alkaloids found in goldenseal - hydrastine.

 

 

Goldenseal owes its therapeutic action to two such alkaloids, hydrastine

and berberine, the latter being responsible for the vibrant yellow color

of the root. Hydrastine constricts blood vessels and lowers blood sugar,

and both berberine and hydrastine are antibacterial as well as being

slightly sedative. Berberine is also found in barberries, Asian

goldenthread and Oregon grape, and most studies on this alkaloid have

been exercised with extracts from these plants rather than goldenseal.

 

 

In spite of a lack of scientific data to support the curative claims of

goldenseal, anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness in treating colds

abound. In small doses, and in combination with echinacea, goldenseal

can be helpful when a case of the sniffles arises. It should be noted

however, that large doses can cause profuse mucous secretions and can

also promote uterine contractions, making its use during pregnancy

questionable.

 

 

There is a peculiar myth about goldenseal that needs to be dispelled.

The persistent belief that goldenseal can mask illegal drug use in urine

tests actually stems from fiction, not fact. The eclectic pharmacist and

writer John U. Lloyd featured goldenseal in his 1890 murder mystery

" Stringtown on the Pike " in which the accused is convicted based on the

testimony that examination of the victim's stomach revealed traces of

strychnine. In truth, the contents of the stomach merely contained the

residue of the victim's daily cocktail of goldenseal tonic. The heroine

of the story, a student of chemistry, discovered that a combination of

hydrastine and morphine can produce findings similar to strychnine

poisoning. Hence, a modern herbal legend was born.