Goldenseal
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| Goldenseal | ||||||||||||||
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Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock as well as its large, rounded leaves.
Goldenseal is often used as a multi-purpose remedy, having many different medicinal properties. In addition to working as a topical antibiotic, it can also be taken internally as a digestion aid. Goldenseal may be purchased in salve or tablet form. It is often marketed as a "cleanser" to prepare for drug tests, but its actual efficacy as such is unknown.
A second species from Japan, previously listed as Hydrastis palmatum, is sufficiently distinct that it is now usually treated in a separate genus, as Glaucidium palmatum.
External links
- The Herbal Information Center (http://www.kcweb.com/herb/goldenseal.htm)