Goldenseal Herb Rare, But Can Be Cultivated for Profit and Health

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This beautiful goldenseal plant is a perennial plant native to most of the eastern United States. Spectrum Photofile

As combines, pickers, diggers and crop-handling machinery of all descriptions sputter to life in the chill of a fall dawn, harvest season begins on farms across the United States’ Midwest. Farmers pray for dry weather and mild temperatures to collect the bounty of another growing season. None will draw an easy breath until the crops are safely dried, stored or sold.

On our farm, the approach to harvest season is different, but the anticipation is the same. The equipment we use is simple and low-tech, yet it helps yield a valuable crop. I’m not talking about corn, wheat or beans. I’m talking about goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), the native medicinal plant with roots of gold. 

What is goldenseal?

Goldenseal is a perennial plant native to most U.S. eastern states and southeastern provinces of Canada. It has been recognized as a valuable medicinal plant for centuries. There’s no hocus-pocus or superstition here because goldenseal derives its value from the medicinal alkaloids berberine, hydrastinine and canadine contained in its rootstock. These compounds have proven antibiotic properties and are extracted by pharmaceutical companies for a variety of uses.

Goldenseal derivatives are used extensively in eye wash products, malarial medicines and by the nutraceutical (beneficial foods or supplements) industry. The popularity of this herb has grown exponentially during the last 20 years, when it was rediscovered by health enthusiasts, herbalists and naturopathic healers.

Today, this plant is an endangered species, and it is illegal to pick or dig in the wild in many states. It may, however, be cultivated. In fact, many wild plant organizations like the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs in Rutland, Ohio, encourage the cultivation of plants like goldenseal under natural conditions in their natural environment. The organizations even provide serious growers with technical assistance.

Harvested goldenseal products may be legally sold, providing the grower can prove the plants were cultivated in the United States. Retaining your receipts from planting stock purchases is usually all that is required. In some states, however, wild goldenseal may be dug and sold. Be sure to check with your state’s department of agriculture or department of natural resources before attempting to dig any wild plants. These agencies may also be helpful in establishing a cultivated venture or locating plant stock sources. 

Harvesting goldenseal

Planted as seeds or seedlings, most goldenseal must grow for 3 to 5 years (in the northern-most states) before yielding large, potent rootstock. The plant is perennial. This may seem extreme, but the older plants are also valuable as seed producers. The long growing time is not lost since the seeds can be collected and sold or used as a source of free planting stock to expand your enterprise or replant harvested beds. Mature plants produce seeds annually.