Hydrastis canadensis is a perennial woodland herb native to eastern and central North America. It is the only species in its genus, which is distinctive enough that it is often placed in its own family. It is a small creeping plant with lobed, toothed leaves arising from a slender yellowish rhizome; the flowers, borne singly, are white with numerous showy stamens. Goldenseal is a slow-growing plant whose populations in many areas have been decimated by logging and overharvesting, so that many states classify it as threatened or endangered.

Goldenseal was traditionally used for a variety of ailments, notably for digestive problems; today it is used primarily for infections and inflammation. It contains berberine, which (as mentioned under Barberry) has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity, in addition to several other alkaloids that appear to contribute to its activity. In vitro, goldenseal extract is quite effective at inhibiting the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Goldenseal alkaloids are reportedly not absorbed well when taken orally, meaning that they are unlikely to have much effect at the systemic level outside the digestive system, although liquid preparations could be useful for throat infections. No clinical trials of crude goldenseal extract have been conducted. Since there is therefore no evidence that goldenseal is superior to other berberine-containing herbs for most purposes, and since unsustainable harvesting is a concern, responsible herbalists suggest that Berberis species should be used in preference to goldenseal whenever possible. Goldenseal has been reported to inhibit certain liver enzymes, which could result in increased blood levels of toxic pharmaceutical drugs, although the only human trial to directly examine blood levels of such a drug in combination with goldenseal found no effect.

Selected References

Ford, B. A. 1997. Hydrastis. Pp. 87-88 in: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. Flora of North America, vol. 3. Oxford University Press: New York.

Gurley, B. J., S. F. Gardner, M. A. Hubbard, D. K. Williams, W. B. Gentry, I. A. Khan, and A. Shah. 2005. In vivo effects of goldenseal, kava kava, black cohosh, and valerian on human cytochrome P450 1A2, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4/5 phenotypes. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 77:415-426.

Keener, C. S. 1993. A review of the classification of the genus Hydrastis (Ranunculaceae). Aliso 13:551-558.

Mahady, G. B., S. L. Pendland, A. Stoia, and L. R. Chadwick. 2003. In vitro susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to isoquinoline alkaloids from Sanguinaria canadensis and Hydrastis canadensis. Phytother. Res. 17:217-221.

Sandhu, R. S., R. P. Preschilla, T. M. Simonelli, and D. J. Edwards. 2003. Influence of goldenseal root on the pharmacokinetics of indinavir. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 43:1283-1288.

Scazzocchio, F., M. F. Cometa, L. Tomassini, and M. Palmery. 2001. Antibacterial activity of Hydrastis canadensis extract and its major isolated alkaloids. Planta Med. 67:561-564.