Herbal Info
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
GoldensealFamily: Ranunculaceae.
Part used: Roots and leaves.
Collection: The roots should be harvested in the fall after the seeds have ripened. Only plants 3 years old or older should be taken, see *Help Protect Endangered Goldenseal.
The above-ground plant can be harvested at any time.
Actions: Antiseptic, antibacterial, antihemorrhagic, antifungal, antiamebic, astringent, expectorant, diaphoretic, mucosal anti-inflammatory, mucosal stimulant, mucosal tonic, antitumor (cytotoxic).
Active against: Staphylococcus aureus (whole herb). A primary constituent of goldenseal, berberine, has been found active in vitro against Vibrio cholerae, Streptococcus, pyogenes, Shigella spp., Candida alhicans, Escherichia coli, Klehsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium and S.paratyphi, Corynehacterium diphtheriae, tuberculosis, Giardia lamblia, and Trichomonas vaginalis, among many others.
About Goldenseal
With this herb, more than any other, it is possible to find completely conflicting perspectives from clinicians of equal stature and length of practice. Some clinicians consider it to be a reliable immune stimulant, antibiotic, and antiviral. Many others do not. All can cite impressive clinical experience.
One Seattle clinician notes that he has worked with severe mucous membrane infections in AIDS patients for the past 20 years and that the incidence of antibiotic-resistant disease in this population has grown. Dosages of goldenseal that were effective 12 years ago (10 capsules per day) are no longer sufficient, and the dose range has now risen to 25 capsules per day to combat active bacterial and fungal infections in the body's mucosal systems. This same clinician has found goldenseal effective as a systemic antibacterial agent and has successfully used it for treatment of a medically cultured antibiotic-resistant staph infection in the foot that had not responded to any antibiotics. With conventional medical treatment, the foot would have been amputated. The dosage in this case was 25 double-ought capsules a day for 2 weeks.
Other clinicians insist that side effects such as excessive drying of the membrane systems, severe abdominal cramping, vomiting, possible liver damage, and nervous tremors will occur with doses that large and that in any event, the dose will not be effective. Clinicians who use high doses deny ever having seen such symptoms in their patients even with decades of experience at such dose levels. A monkey wrench for the low-dose purists: lengthy historical use, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports (notoriously overresponsive to even a whiff of adverse reactions), and poison center reports all fail to note the side effects ascribed to high doses of goldenseal. A clear resolution of the conflicting positions remains elusive. One factor that might be important: In traditional Chinese medicine goldenseal relatives (such as Coptis chinensis) are considered to be contraindicated for people that tend to be dry and thin. It is generally used for people who are considered moist – i.e., moist skin and slightly plump. It might be that people with more naturally occurring body moisture have less tendency for their mucous membranes to "dry out" when they take goldenseal or its analogues.
When taken internally the herb does not appear to stimulate the immune system directly but rather the healthy functioning of the mucous membranes of the body and, as a result, the level of active immunoglobulin A antibodies (IgA) in the mucus. IgA is one of the antibodies in the human body, and it infuses the mucous membranes in order to fight infections that seek to gain a toehold there. Stimulation of the mucous membranes and the IgA antibodies then helps prevent infections. Effective functioning or even proper stimulation of the mucous membranes through the use of goldenseal has been shown in one clinical trial to combat a viral infection more effectively than pharmaceutical drugs. In this case it was a severe infection of the eye with Chlamydia trachomatis, a common disease in the Third World. For the Chlamydia infection, the eye drops described below were used daily for 3 weeks. For colds and flu, goldenseal seems most effective when used in the later stages of a cold when there is active infection of the mucous membranes. As a general tonic for colds and flu, it would be effective only in small doses if the mucosal system is not functioning properly. Otherwise it is not indicated.
Goldenseal is also excreted in the urine and so can directly combat infection in the urinary tract, although many other herbs, such as uva ursi, are cheaper and as effective for that system.
Clinical trials have shown its reliable effectiveness in combatting dysentery-type diseases. Empiric clinicians also report success in this area, one clinician in Boulder using it successfully with the particularly virulent food-borne E. coli O157:H7, which causes bloody diarrhea. In this instance, the E. coli infection, from contaminated apple juice, was treated by the use of three berberine-containing herbs (goldenseal, barberry, and Oregon grape root) in an equal-parts tincture combination: 20 drops in water every 2 or 3 hours. All bleeding stopped within 24 hours.
Goldenseal seems best when used for six purposes: for active infections, inflammations, or ulcerations in the gastrointestinal tract, from gums to rectum; for active infections in the sinuses when used as snuff or sinus wash; for active infections in the vagina when used as a douche; for active skin infections when used as a powder or wash; for active eye infections when used as a wash; and as a stimulant/tonic (when used in moderation and for limited duration) in general for mucous membranes throughout the body to help tone them and help them serve their function as one of the first lines of defense against bacterial infection.
Clinical (human) trials using berberine sulfate, a derived constituent of goldenseal, have shown dependable effectiveness, surpassing pharmaceuticals, against diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli. Berberine sulfate has been shown to significantly inhibit the intestinal secretory response induced by both cholera and E. coli infection in vivo.
Goldenseal is extensively overused, often for inappropriate conditions. The best results can be obtained if you focus on using the herb for the conditions described here, begin with minimum doses, and work up.
Side Effects and Contraindications
Do not use during pregnancy. Some clinicians report abdominal cramping, nervous tremors, and excessive drying of the mucous membranes when large doses are used.
Alternatives to Goldenseal
Probably the closest herb to goldenseal is goldthread, Coptis spp. The Chinese species, Coptis chinensis, has a root larger than goldenseal; the American species, Coptis trifioliata, has a tiny threadlike root system, and it takes a great deal of it to make sufficient medicine. However, they are used almost identically. Laboratory study verifies their actions against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and their historical use indicates that they are an efficient substitute for goldenseal. One species in India, C. teeta, has been traditionally used as an effective anti-malarial herb and it has been verified in vitro to be active against the malarial parasite.
Other substitutes for specific uses include:
Mucous membrane tonic: yerba manza (Anemopsis californica).
Topical infections: usnea, coptis, Oregon grape root (Mahonia spp.), barberry (Berberis vulgaris).
Eye wash: Oregon grape/usnea/rose hip; equal parts, infused in water.
Vaginal douche: usnea/calendula tincture; equal parts, in 1 pint water.
Gum infections: elephant tree (Bursera microphylla) or myrrh (Comiphora spp.), oak bark or rhatany (Krameria spp.) tinctures in combination.
Intestinal infections with diarrhea: cryptolepsis or artemisia combined with either oak bark or rhatany.
Snuff: skunk cabbage (Lysichiton spp. or Lysichitum spp. or Symplocarpus foetidus), Oregon grape, barberry, coptis.
* Help Protect Endangered Goldenseal
Goldenseal is extremely expensive and is rarely indicated. Use alternatives when possible, as it is an endangered plant because of overuse. When possible, you should use organically grown roots and never harvest the wild populations unless you are the caretaker of a large population and can reliably harvest for your community’s use without endangering the plan population’s survival. though some herbalists insist it’s not true, laboratory study shows that the herb, though weaker than the root, may be used interchangeably with the root for medicine, and this is encourage to protect the plant populations in the wild. The above-ground plant is used throughout the Caribbean and in Europe as tea for medicinal use.
Source: Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Copyright © 1999, Stephen Harrod Buhner