Goldenseal: The potent multipurpose healer - alkaloids heal mucous membranes

Better Nutrition (1989-90), March, 1990 by Deborah Seymour Taylor

Goldenseal: The Potent Multipurpose Healer

Research shows the powerful alkaloids in the herb goldenseal act quickly to heal mucous membranes throughout the body

The healing potential of herbs has been known for centuries. Far from being outdated, however, herbs have earned a place in current medical treatment. Orthodox medicine, in fact, has its roots in the use of herbs. Many contemporary prescription drugs have been produced from nature, among them aspirin from willow bark, digitalis, a heart failure drug, from foxglove, steroids from wild yam, and anti-cancer drugs from the Madagascan periwinkle. An estimated 24 to 40 percent of drugs produced in the United States contain an active herbal ingredient.

Today, with the availability of a wide range of powerful nontoxic formulas, herbs have become a scientifically validated form of alternative medicine that can cure a host of chronic diseases.

Goldenseal, considered one of the most valuable remedies in the herbal kingdom, ranks as one of the best. For the early American Indians, goldenseal was a cure-all. The Cherokee, Crow and Iroquois used it extensively. Its roots supplied not only a brilliant yellow dye for weapons, clothing and face paint, but important remedies for inflamed eyes, mouth ulcers, cancer, tuberculosis and dropsy.

As it made its way into the early folk medicine of the European settlers in the 1700s, goldenseal became so popular that it was difficult to find and extremely costly, sometimes selling for nearly $ 1.50 per pound, when most medicinal herbs sold for two to five cents per pound.

What is thought to be the first written description of the use of goldenseal was in 1650 by Jesuit Le Moyne who called it "the universal plant, because its leaves close up all kinds of wounds in a short time."

The generic name "hydrastis," derived from the Greek words meaning "water" and "to accomplish" is a clue to its profound ability to heal mucous membranes throughout the body. According to Edwin Hale, M.D., emeritus professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics at the Chicago Homeopathic College, "Initially, goldenseal acts on mucous surfaces by stimulating circulation of the fine capillaries."

It then dries and cleans the mucous membranes, inhibiting excessive mucous and counteracting inflammation. Consequently, it is widely used to treat peptic ulcers, sinus and nasal inflammations, constipation, hemorrhoids, morning sickness and all conditions involving inflamed or ulcerated mucous membranes.

According to Jethro Kloss in Back to Eden, goldenseal is remarkably effective in "all catarrhal conditions, whether of the throat, nasal passages, bronchial tubes, intestines, stomach, bladder or wherever there is a lining of mucous membrane." In addition, he said, the herb is excellent as a douche for vaginal infections, as an eyewash and as an antiseptic mouthwash for pyorrhea.

The reason for goldenseal's effectiveness, according to John Heinerman, author of Science of Herbal Medicine, is the presence of alkaloids, organic compounds that neutralize acids in the body. "Goldenseal has three principal alkaloids -- hydrastine, berberine and canadine. Hydrastine has been used to stimulate the heart muscles and to protect them from infection. And it has been employed medically to stop excessive hemorrhaging in the uterus, during menstruation. Berberine is clinically recognized for its internal use against malaria, typhoid, scarlet and rocky mountain spotted fever."

All three alkaloids demonstrate cytotoxic activity, according to a report in Drug Research, and therefore are useful against a host of viruses, as well as bacteria, including E. coli and staphylococcus.

Jeffrey L. Anderson, M.D., a family physician practicing in Mill Valley, Calif., often uses goldenseal in combination with other herbs to treat skin problems. "It is one of the most potent herbs I have ever used," he said. One of his patients, a pregnant woman with an ulcer on her leg, came to him after using antibiotics and zinc oxide repeatedly to no avail. "When goldenseal was applied," he said, "the ulcer healed in one week and was closed up in two weeks." Another patient came to him with persistent infections around his fingertips. "Soaking his hands in goldenseal tea cleared it up quickly." Dr. Anderson said that the use of goldenseal has enabled him to to prescribe antibiotics much less frequently.

Herbologists recommend applying the herb to the skin using either a poultice or a wash. To make a poultice, use one teaspoon of the powdered root to two or three cups of boiling water. Steep for 20 minutes, stir and strain. When the liquid has cooled slightly, soak a clean cloth in it and apply the cloth directly to the skin. Freshen the poultice by dipping the cloth in the tea every 5 to 10 minutes. To use the herb as a wash, apply the tea directly to the skin. Or use it to soak hands or feet.

Goldenseal is available at your local health food store in powder, capsule, tablet and liquid form.

PHOTO : Researchers have solved the puzzle of goldenseal's medicinal qualities--three alkaloids