|
What Is It
The dried root of this perennial herb has long been used to
soothe inflamed or infected mucous membranes. Today, it is
appreciated for its ability to help the body fight infection.
The plant was first called goldenseal in the nineteenth century,
deriving its name from the rich yellow of the root and the
small cuplike scars found there. These scars, which appear
on the previous year's root growth, resemble the wax seals
formerly used to close envelopes, hence the name "goldenseal".
Related to the buttercup, goldenseal is native to North America
and once grew wild from Vermont to Arkansas. As interest in
its medicinal properties grew, however, the plant was extensively
harvested. Currently, most of the goldenseal on the market
is commercially cultivated in Oregon and Washington.
The key medicinal compounds in goldenseal are the alkaloids
berberine and hydrastine. Berberine is also responsible for
the root's rich yellow color (so vibrant), in fact, that Native
Americans and early settlers utilized goldenseal as a dye
as well as a medicinal herb. Because the alkaloids have a
bitter taste, goldenseal tea often includes other herbs or
is mixed with a sweetener such as honey.
What Does It Do
The primary benefit of goldenseal is its overall effect on
immunity. Not only does it increase the immune system's production
of germ-fighting compounds, it can combat both bacteria and
viruses directly.
Common Uses
• Promotes healing of canker sores and cold sores.
• Helps destroy the virus that causes warts.
• Bolsters the immune system.
• Calms a nauseated stomach.
• May help urinary tract infections.
• Treats eye infections.
Prevention
Taking goldenseal at the first sign of a cold or the flu may
prevent the illness from developing fully, or at least greatly
minimize the symptoms by enhancing the activity of virus-fighting
white blood cells.
Additional Benefits
Goldenseal fights bacteria, making it useful for mild urinary
tract infections (if you begin taking it early enough) and
sinus infections. It may also help soothe nausea and vomiting,
by stimulating digestive secretions and working to destroy
the bacteria that may be causing the symptoms.
As one of several herbs that stimulate the immune system (others
included echinacea, pau d'arco, and astragalus) goldenseal
may play a role in relieving the symptoms of chronic fatigue
syndrome, a disabling disorder that may be partially caused
by a weakened immune system. It also helps to fight cold sores
and shingles (both caused by the herpes virus). Use it for
no more than a week or two at a time.
Applied topically, goldenseal tincture is beneficial for canker
sores and warts. The tincture promotes the healing of the
sores and directly fights the human papilloma virus that causes
warts. Once cooled and strained, goldenseal tea can be used
as an eyewash to relieve eye infections such as conjunctivitis.
Be sure to prepare a fresh batch daily and store it in a sterile
container, so the tea won't get contaminated.
How To Take It
Dosage: For colds, flu, and other respiratory
infections: As soon as you begin to feel sick, take 125 mg
of goldenseal (in combination with 200 mg of echinacea) five
times a day for five days. For urinary tract infections: Drink
several cups of goldenseal tea a day. For nausea and vomiting:
Take 125 mg every four hours as needed. For chronic fatigue
syndrome: Use 125 mg twice a day in rotation with other immune-stimulating
herbs. For cold sores: Take 125 mg of goldenseal with 200
mg echinacea four times a day. For shingles: Take 125 mg of
goldenseal with 200 mg echinacea four times a day. For canker
sores and warts: Apply goldenseal tincture directly to the
sores three times a day. For eye infections: Use 1 teaspoon
dried herb per pint of hot water. Steep, finely strain, cool,
and apply as an eyewash three times a day; make a new solution
every day.
Guidelines For Use: Take goldenseal supplements
with meals. Unlike echinacea and other herbs that stimulate
the immune system, goldenseal should be used only when you
feel that you're coming down with a cold, the flue, or some
other illness, and just for the duration of the illness. The
single exception is when you're taking goldenseal in rotation
with other herbs to strengthen the immune system.
Possible Side Effects
When taken at recommended doses and for suggested lengths
of time, goldenseal is safe to use and has few side effects.
Very high doses may irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth
and cause diarrhea, nausea, and respiratory problems.
Caution!
Goldenseal should not be used by pregnant women or people
with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or glaucoma.
Shopping Hints
When buying goldenseal, look for extracts standardized to
contain 8% to 100/o alkaloids or 5% hydrastine.
Case History
Alexa K. always reacted badly to antibiotics. Although she
knew she needed them for her sinus infections, the side effects
(dizziness, nausea, diarrhea) often made the drugs worse than
the illness.
When an herbalist told her to try goldenseal extract, her
doctor was skeptical. "Look," he said, "try
the goldenseal, but keep my prescription handy. If you don't
feel better, you can always get it filled."
Alexa took the goldenseal and, in a few days, her sinus infection
was gone, without a single side effect. Now goldenseal is
a part of her sinus first-aid kit. At the first sign of an
infection, she starts taking it, along with the immune stimulator
echinacea.
Though antibiotics are sometimes necessary, in the last few
years Alexa has often been able to avoid them. "Those
miserable side effects are history!" she happily reports.
|
