Goldenseal

Claims, Benefits: Treats diarrhea and colds, has antiseptic action.

Bottom Line: This herb may be effective against diarrhea, but it is unpredictable and has potential side effects. The product you buy may have little or none of the active ingredients, or a huge dose.

Full Article, Wellness Letter, October 1999:

Goldenseal: flower power

Goldenseal, a perennial with a yellow flower related to the buttercup, is one of the oldest herbal medicines. As is not always the case with such traditional remedies, its active ingredients have been identified—hydrastine and berberine. The latter is known to have effects against diarrhea. While the pharmacology of the plant is understood, few clinical studies have been done. Goldenseal is also known as a cold remedy and a weak antiseptic, traditionally used as a wash to ease minor irritations of the mouth, lips, and eyes, though there's no scientific evidence for this.

Varro Tyler, the American herb expert, calls goldenseal a "drug" and notes that it was a favorite remedy of the Cherokees, which then passed into wide use in patent medicines, such as "Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery." Folk herbalists in Indiana, he says, continue to recommend it as a remedy for cracked lips and canker sores. As reported recently in the Archives of Family Medicine, two small clinical trials have shown berberine to be effective against diarrhea caused by such infections as E. coli, vibrio, and giardia. But there are drugs that work as well—and doctors don't often recommend goldenseal because of its unpredictable action and potential side effects.

According to the recent reference book Herbal Medicines, by a trio of British herb experts, "excessive use of goldenseal should be avoided." This is because potential side effects include stomach upset, nervous symptoms, depression, and (in large enough quantities) even death from respiratory failure. Pregnant and nursing women should avoid it; so should children, as well as anyone with elevated blood pressure, heart disease, epilepsy, or blood clotting problems.

We would caution against any use of goldenseal, since it is impossible in this country to get products with standardized doses. The product you buy may have little or no berberine or hydrastine—or a huge dose.

Two further thoughts: Goldenseal has been promoted in health-food stores to "flush out" such drugs as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin and thus prevent their detection in a urine test. Fortunately or unfortunately, this is wishful thinking. And the rush to harvest goldenseal in this country has put the species on the endangered list. Maybe we'd be better off to just let it alone.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, October 1999