For this post, I don’t have to travel far, because today’s plant, a native to the United States, is most abundant on the east coast and the states of Ohio, Kentucky, New York, and West Virginia. Xanthorhiza simplicissima, more commonly known as “yellow root” has several medicinal purposes, used both traditionally and today.
Yellow root is best grown along the banks of partially shaded bodies of water in rich soils. The main alkaloid in this plant is berberine, which can act as an anti-inflammatory, an astringent, an anti-microbial, an anti-catarrhal, and an immunostimulant. While toxic in large doses, this plant is used for a plethora of ailments, including ulcers of the mouth and stomach, sore throat, cirrhosis, cramps, and diabetes. The Cherokee Indians used a very similar root, “goldenseal”, not only for indigestion, to improve appetite, and for injuries from arrow wounds, but also as a yellow dye for fabric and war paint.
The two plants have the same basic properties; however, goldenseal root is an endangered species while yellow root is still very common. Today, goldenseal is hardly found in the wild, and is instead manufactured commercially on farms.
After the Civil War, North Americans realized the medical potential of goldenseal root. This realization and subsequent manufacturing of medicines with goldenseal root during this time was a direct contribution to it’s extinction. Pharmaceutical companies today use both yellow root and goldenseal root in medicines, cosmetics and also in supplements that enhance the immune system.
This is yet another clear example of the exploitation of nature by industrializing countries that don’t seem to understand long-term consequences of their actions.
Over and out,
Herb
[Katie Nelson]
Images:
http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/category.cfm?search=purplish
http://www.owlsdaughter.com/2010/06/encounters-with-the-little-people/
http://www.americanlifestyle.com/theproducts.cfm?owner=694&subcat=1219&cat=6
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