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Hydrastis canadensis - Goldenseal
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), also called orangeroot[1] or yellow puccoon, is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock. The stem is purplish and hairy above ground and yellow below ground where it connects to the yellow rhizome.
Description
The plant bears two palmate, hairy leaves with 5–7 double-toothed lobes and single, small, inconspicuous flowers with greenish white stamens in the late spring. It bears a single berry like a large raspberry with 10–30 seeds in the summer. In herbal medicine, goldenseal is often used as a multi-purpose remedy, and is thought to possess many different medicinal properties, according to herbal practitioners. In addition to being used as a topical antimicrobial, it is also taken internally as a digestion aid.
Uses
- At the time of the European colonization of the Americas, goldenseal was in extensive use among certain Native American tribes of North America, both as a medicine and as a coloring material.
- Herbalists today consider goldenseal an alterative, anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, bitter tonic, laxative, anti-diabetic and muscular stimulant.(unverified information)
- Goldenseal is very bitter, which stimulates the appetite and aids digestion, and often stimulates bile secretion.
