Editing Goldenseal (section)

==Description==

''Hydrastis canadensis'' is a [[herbaceous]] [[perennial]] growing from a horizontal, yellowish [[rhizome]] that is thick with knobby knots. The finely hairy, upright, unbranched, stems grow to {{Convert|15–50|cm|abbr=off|frac=2}} tall.<ref name="FNA">{{Cite web|title=Hydrastis canadensis in Flora of North America @ efloras.org|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220006616|access-date=2021-01-16|website=www.efloras.org}}</ref> Fertile plants have a single stem with two palmately lobed [[leaves]].<ref name="CoffinPfannmuller1988">{{cite book|author1=Barbara Coffin|author2=Lee Pfannmuller|title=Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfWNq91AjeoC|year=1988|publisher=U of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-1689-3|page=101}}</ref> Flowering plants produce a single terminal flower with no petals and three [[sepal]]s and 12 or more conspicuous white [[pistil]]s; flowering occurs for a short time in spring.<ref name="CoffinPfannmuller1988"/> Fertilized flowers grow into red, raspberry-like fruits with one or two seeds.<ref name="CoffinPfannmuller1988"/>

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Hydrastis.jpg|Goldenseal in flower
|Goldenseal (cropped).jpg|Goldenseal in fruit
}}

=== Constituents and modern pharmacology ===
Goldenseal contains the isoquinoline alkaloids [[hydrastine]], [[berberine]], berberastine, [[hydrastinine]], tetrahydroberberastine, [[canadine]] and canalidine.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Weber HA, Zart MK, Hodges AE, etal |date=December 2003 |title=Chemical comparison of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) root powder from three commercial suppliers |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=51 |issue=25 |pages=7352–8 |doi=10.1021/jf034339r |pmid=14640583}}</ref> A related compound, 8-oxotetrahydrothalifendine, was identified in one study.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Gentry EJ, Jampani HB, Keshavarz-Shokri A, etal |date=October 1998 |title=Antitubercular natural products: berberine from the roots of commercial Hydrastis canadensis powder. Isolation of inactive 8-oxotetrahydrothalifendine, canadine, beta-hydrastine, and two new quinic acid esters, hycandinic acid esters-1 and −2 |journal=Journal of Natural Products |volume=61 |issue=10 |pages=1187–93 |doi=10.1021/np9701889 |pmid=9784149}}</ref> The ''[[United States Pharmacopeia|United States Pharmacopoeia]]'' requires goldenseal sold as a supplement to have hydrastine concentrations of at least 2% and berberine concentrations of at least 2.5%.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Douglas |first1=JA |last2=Follett |first2=JM |last3=Waller |first3=JE |last4=Sansom |first4=CE |date=2010 |title=Seasonal variation of biomass and bioactive alkaloid content of goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis |journal=Fitoterapia |volume=81 |issue=7 |pages=925–928 |doi=10.1016/j.fitote.2010.06.006 |pmid=20550958}}</ref> The requirements in Europe are that hydrastine concentrations be at least 2.5% and that berberine concentrations at least 3%.<ref name=":4" /> The hydrastine concentrations of goldenseal plants range between 1.5% and 5%, while the berberine concentrations are usually between 0.5% and 4.5%.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Mahady |first1=Gail |last2=Chadwick |first2=Lucas |date=2001 |title=Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Is there enough scientific evidence to support safety and efficacy? |journal=Nutrition in Clinical Care |volume=4 |issue=5 |pages=243–249 |doi=10.1046/j.1523-5408.2001.00004.x}}</ref> Goldenseal is harvested for its rhizomes because the concentrations of hydrastine and berberine in the shoots do not meet these requirements.<ref name=":4" /> Berberine and hydrastine act as quaternary bases and are poorly soluble in water but freely soluble in alcohol. The herb seems to have synergistic antibacterial activity over berberine ''[[in vitro]]'', possibly as a result of [[efflux pump]] inhibitory activity.<ref>Ettefagh K.A., Burns J.T., Junio H.A., Kaatz G.W., Cech N.B., "Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) Extracts Synergistically Enhance the Antibacterial Activity of Berberine via Efflux Pump Inhibition", ''Planta Medica'' 2010</ref>