Goldenseal Benefits, Side Effects

Goldenseal Herb Benefits, Side Effects
April 11, 2008, zhion@zhion.com

ABOUT GOLDENSEAL Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) has been one of the best-selling American herbs in
the United States. [8] Goldenseal belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). [3] It is an herbaceous
perennial.

ABOUT GOLDENSEAL
Goldenseal is a Native American medicinal plant introduced to early settlers
by Cherokee Indians. [2] It is also called as ox-eye daisy, golden daisy,
maudlinwort, moon daisy, eye balm, yellow root, orange root, eye-root, eye
root and ground raspberry. [1] Goldenseal can be found in moist forest soils
and damp meadows. [5] This plant is so bitter that it has almost no natural
predators. [4]

WHAT ARE GOLDENSEAL'S BENEFITS
Goldenseal's benefits can be attributed to its alkaloids. These alkaloids are
strongly astringent. Traditionally, goldenseal has been applied topically to
treat minor skin wounds and cold sores. It has been taken orally to subside
diarrhea and to boost the immune system. [1] Once, it was also used as
strong tea for indigestion. Today, it is used to help symptoms of the cold and
flu. Goldenseal is commonly combined with Echinacea to treat cold and flu
symptoms, especially coughs and sore throats. Lozenges containing
goldenseal, echinacea and zinc are also popular.

RESEARCH STUDIES- FACTS AND FINDINGS

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
The medicinal benefits of goldenseal are derived from two compounds
known as berberine (anticholinergic, antisecretory, and antimicrobial) and
beta-hydrastine (astringent). [9] These two active components make
goldenseal to have benefits on mild pathological conditions like cold and flu.
[9] Other alkaloids include tetrahydroberberastine, canadaline, berberine,
hydrastine, and canadine.[12]

IMMUNE FUNCTION BOOSTING
Research finds that goldenseal may enhance immune function by increasing
antigen-specific immunoglobulin production. Researchers injected rats with
antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and re-exposed them to KLH after
the initial exposure. They also treated these rats with goldenseal root
extract for 6 weeks. They noticed that goldenseal-treated rats showed an
increase in the primary IgM response during the first 2 weeks of treatment.
[6]

ANTI-MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES
Goldenseal was found to have berberine. Berberine is a plant alkaloid with a
long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.
Berberine extracts and decoctions have demonstrated significant
antimicrobial activity against a variety of organisms including bacteria,
viruses, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and chlamydia. Currently, the
predominant clinical uses of berberine include bacterial diarrhea, intestinal
parasite infections, and ocular trachoma infections. [7]

In a study, researchers investigated the anti-microbial activities of nine
compounds from a commercially available sample of the roots of goldenseal:
6,8-di- C-methylluteolin 7-methyl ether (1) and 6- C-methylluteolin 7-methyl
ether (2), berberine (3), beta-hydrastine (4), canadine (5), canadaline (6),
isocorypalmine (7), canadinic acid (8), and beta-sitosterol 3- O-beta-
D-glucoside (9). They found that berberine (3) and, to a lesser extent, 1 and
2, showed antimicrobial activity against the oral pathogens Streptococcus
mutans and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Berberine (3) exhibited an additive
antimicrobial effect against S. mutans in combination with 1. [13]

RELAXATION EFFECTS
The goldenseal's benefits on cold and flu may be further enhanced by its
relaxation activities. Study has demonstrated the relaxant effect of a total
ethanolic extract of hydrastis on carbachol precontracted isolated guinea pig
trachea. And, the hydrastis extract, at concentrations between 0.01 and 0.1
microg/ml, potentiated the relaxant effect of isoprenaline on
carbachol-precontracted isolated guinea pig trachea. [9]

GOLDENSEAL SIDE EFFECTS
Serious adverse interactions may result from the concomitant ingestion of
goldenseal supplements and drugs that are CYP2D6 and CYP3A4/5
substrates. Researchers assigned twelve healthy volunteers to receive
goldenseal for 28 days. They also administered the volunteers with probe
drug cocktails of midazolam and caffeine, followed 24 hours later by
chlorzoxazone and debrisoquin (INN, debrisoquine), before (baseline) and at
the end of supplementation. They found that goldenseal supplements
strongly inhibited cytochrome P450 CYP2D6 and CYP3A4/5 activity. [10]

The other side effects of goldenseal include skin, mouth, throat and gastric
irritation. It may also cause nausea and diarrhea. Topical application of
goldenseal or berberine may lead to photo-toxic reaction, after exposure to
sunlight or artificial light sources emitting UVA. [14]

Goldenseal is a potent plant. Do not use goldenseal without consulting a
physician.

CONTENT VARIATIONS
Alkaloid content of goldenseal products varies widely. Researchers
purchased 20 goldenseal products from local pharmacies or health food
stores. They then assayed the hydrastine and berberine content, alkaloid
ratio, and the total alkaloid content in these products. They found that the
range of hydrastine concentration is 0-2.93% and that of berberine is
0.825-5.86%. Only 10 of 17 products met proposed United States
Pharmacopeia (USP) standards for the hydrastine and berberine content of
goldenseal root. [11] In another study, researchers determined that
berberine content in 10 goldenseal samples using thin-layer
chromatography (TLC). They found that five of these samples contained both
hydrastine and berberine, four contained berberine and one did not contain
either of these alkaloids. They verified the TLC results with HPLC HPLC
analysis. [8]

WHAT ARE THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OF GOLDEN SEAL?
A. Herbal harvest Echinacea with Golden Seal Root 450 mg
Based on its label, the serving size is 1 capsule. The amount per serving is
as follows: echinacea/goldenseal blend 450 mg. This blend contains whole
plant of echinacea purpurea, whole plant of echinacea angustifolia, root of
goldenseal (hydrastis canadensis), root of burdock (arctium lappa), root of
gentian (gentiana lutea), fruit of cayenne pepper (capsicum frutescens) and
the aerial part of wood betony (betonica officinalis). take 1 capsule three to
six times daily, preferably with a meal.
B. Nature Made Echinacea-Golden Seal Supplement, Softgels.
Based on its label, the serving size is 1 softgel. One serving contains 180 mg
of Echinacea root, and 11.25 mg of goldenseal root extract. Take 1 softgel
with a meal, 3 times a day.

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION,
CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. THE PUBLISHER DOES NOT
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RIGHT RESERVED 2008 zhion. DO NOT COPY OR TRANSFER TO OTHER WEB-SITES OR
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REFERENCE [1] Goldenseal, Drug Guide, Yahoo Online Publication, October 09, 2005.
[2] Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadenis), Herbal Information Center, Kcweb Online
Publication, October 09, 2005. [3] Goldenseal, Herbalgram Online publication, October
09, 2005. [4] goldenseal, North Carolina Ginseng & Goldenseal Co. Online Publication,
October 09, 2005. [5] Goldenseal, Purdue Guide to Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,
Online Publication, October 09, 2005. [6] Rehman J et al, Increased production of
antigen-specific immunoglobulins G and M following in vivo treatment with the
medicinal plants Echinacea angustifolia and Hydrastis canadensis. Immunol Lett. 1999
Jun 1;68(2-3):391-5. [7] Berberine. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Apr;5(2):175-7. [8]
Govindan M and Govindan G A convenient method for the determination of the quality
of goldenseal. Fitoterapia. 2000 Jun;71(3):232-5. [9] Abdel-Haq H et al, Relaxant
effects of Hydrastis canadensis L. and its major alkaloids on guinea pig isolated
trachea. Pharmacol Toxicol. 2000 Nov;87(5):218-22. [10] Gurley BJ et al, 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. 2005
May;77(5):415-26. [11] Edwards DJ and Draper EJ Variations in alkaloid content of
herbal products containing goldenseal. J Am Pharm Assoc (Wash DC). 2003
May-Jun;43(3):419-23. [12] Weber HA et al, Chemical comparison of goldenseal
(Hydrastis canadensis L.) root powder from three commercial suppliers. J Agric Food
Chem. 2003 Dec 3;51(25):7352-8. [13] Hwang BY et al, Antimicrobial constituents
from goldenseal (the Rhizomes of Hydrastis canadensis) against selected oral
pathogens. Planta Med. 2003 Jul;69(7):623-7. [14] Inbaraj JJ et al, Photochemistry
and photocytotoxicity of alkaloids from Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) 1.
Berberine. Chem Res Toxicol 2001 Nov;14(11):1529-34.