Goldenseal
Goldenseal photo - credits: Eric Burkhart
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is another botanical with a long production history. While having a somewhat less colorful history than ginseng, over-collection has reduced the population to dangerously low levels in many states. CITES also lists goldenseal and the US Fish and Wildlife Service regulates its collections.
Currently, goldenseal production and marketing is experiencing rapid expansion in the United States. Demand probably currently exceeds supply, because of the increasing acceptance of botanical products by the health food industry. Unlike ginseng production, where not only plant quantity but also visual and precieved chemical quality differences are important to sale price, goldenseal is primarily traded by weight.
Goldenseal's site requirements closely parallel the requirements for ginseng.
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources web site on Goldenseal. ABOUT: contains information on uses and commercial importance, occurrence in PA, identification and biology, and plants commonly mistaken for goldenseal. Also contains information for growers & planters, publications and links.
UH175: Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) include plant leaves, roots, and fruits, as well as mushrooms, nuts, and cones. This 16-page publication is the second in a series to discuss the collection and husbandry of popular NTFPs found in Pennsylvania and the region. Here, the medicinal plant goldenseal is reviewed. Uses and commerce, occurrence in Pennsylvania, biology, collection guidelines, forest farming, woods-cultivated versus wild-simulated goldenseal, and economic implications are discussed.
