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Hydrastis canadensis

Goldenseal

Caution

Other names: Goldenseal, Yellow root, Orangeroot

Goldenseal of eastern forests—yellow root dye (threatened by harvest; respect regulations).

Perennial with palmately lobed leaves and small flowers.

Family
Ranunculaceae
Plant type
Perennial herb
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
  • Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
  • Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
  • Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
  • Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
  • Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
  • High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
  • Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Goldenseal — plant habitus (Wikimedia Commons).

Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Plant habit

Safety — read before use

For this herb it is important to check warnings, mix-ups and cautions. Start with the Safety section.

Quick overview

A practical summary; details are in the sections below.

Safety grade
Caution details
Scientific sources on the card
No published records yet
When and what to harvest
  • Root — September–October
Full harvest section
Processing methods

Powder, Tincture

All methods and recipes on the card
Topics and symptoms

Mouth and gums

Topics section, Symptoms overview

Identification and mix-ups

Fleshy syncarp of small berry-like fruits.

Possible mix-ups and risks

Related Ranunculaceae by rhizome and site.

Similar herbs

No related herbs are linked yet.

Topics and symptoms

More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.

Geographic occurrence

  • Canada

    Occasional (garden, cultivation, or fringe of the range)

Harvest

  • RootSeptember–October

    podzim

    Region: Canada

    Notes: The yellow rhizome with roots is dug in autumn after the leaves die back, from plants at least four to five years old. Wild populations are threatened by over-harvesting — the species is protected in Canada and international trade falls under CITES (Appendix II); use cultivated material only.

Storage

  • Drying(Root)

    Whole dried rhizome keeps 2–3 years, ground powder 12 months in a dark closed container.

    Light:
    Berberine fades in light — dark container.
    Moisture:
    Powder clumps; store dry.
    Safety:
    Stains permanently yellow; keep away from children and label as a medicinal, not a spice.

Processing methods on this herb card

  • Powder(Root)Suitability: Medium suitability

    Finely ground dried herb; dosing and solubility depend on species.

    Full method description (from the catalogue)

    Powder increases surface area for liquids or food. Home milling needs a clean grinder and control of fineness; very fine powder may clog tea filters.

    Store airtight against moisture and pests.

    Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no

    Rhizome powder belongs to the 19th-century Eclectic tradition (gargles, external washes); the catalogue gives no recipe for internal use without professional guidance — berberine interacts with drugs and endangers newborns.

  • Tincture(Root)Suitability: Low suitability

    Alcoholic or alcohol–water maceration extract.

    Full method description (from the catalogue)

    A tincture is usually a long maceration of plant material in ethanol (sometimes with water). Alcohol and time release different compound groups than hot water alone; concentration and stability depend on the herb-to-solvent ratio and procedure.

    Home production involves legal and safety limits that vary by country; this site gives a general overview, not a recipe. For each herb, read the card for interactions and warnings before preparing anything yourself.

    Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no

    Tincture only from cultivated material and only externally or as a gargle; not internally without professional guidance.

Traditional / spiritual use

Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.

  • The Cherokee yellow root that diggers stripped bare

    General

    Traditional useFolk remediesFolk useHerbal lore

    The Cherokee and Iroquois dyed cloth and skin yellow with goldenseal rhizome and used it as a medicine for eyes, skin and stomach; 19th-century American Eclectic physicians made it one of the best-selling medicinal roots, and that very demand nearly wiped it out in the wild — since 1997 it has been listed in CITES Appendix II. A record of tradition and its ecological price, not a proven effect.

    Form:
    žluté barvivo, kořen v medicíně Čerokíů a eklektiků
    Claim strength:
    Tradition
    Source note:
    Cherokee and Iroquois ethnobotany; Eclectic medicine (King's American Dispensatory, 1898); Sinclair & Catling 2000 (status in Canada); CITES Appendix II.

Scientific notes

Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.

How to read evidence strength and study type labels

Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.

Evidence strength

Evidence level not specified
The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
Narrative / orientational literature
Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
Weak evidence
Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
Preliminary findings
First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
Moderate strength of evidence
Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
Stronger evidence
Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
Review article
A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.

Study type

Narrative / expert text
Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
In vitro study
Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
Animal study
Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
Observational study
Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
Clinical trial
Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
Randomised controlled trial
Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
Review study
A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
Systematic review
Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
Meta-analysis
Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.

No published study records yet.

Images

The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.

Safety

What the warning types mean

The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.

Internal use
Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
Interactions / medicines
Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
Raw plant parts
Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
Toxins and regulation
Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
Contact with the plant
Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
Allergy
Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
Harvesting and contamination
Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
  • Berberine and newborn jaundiceHigh severitypregnancy

    Berberine, goldenseal's main alkaloid, displaces bilirubin from albumin binding (Chan, Biology of the Neonate) and can therefore worsen jaundice in newborns up to brain damage. Do not use goldenseal in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or in newborns and infants.

    Source

  • Inhibition of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6Moderate severityInteractions / medicines

    In a study in healthy volunteers (Gurley et al. 2005) goldenseal after 28 days markedly inhibited the liver enzymes CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, through which a large share of drugs are metabolised; levels of such drugs can rise. Anyone on narrow-therapeutic-range medication should not take goldenseal internally.

    Source

  • Protected species — cultivated onlyModerate severityHarvesting and contamination

    Goldenseal is a threatened species in Canada and its international trade is governed by CITES (Appendix II); commercial digging decimated wild populations (Sinclair & Catling 2000). Buy only certifiably cultivated material and never wild-harvest.

    Source