GOLDEN SEAL, HISTORY, ETC.
The increasing use of Golden Seal in medicine has resulted in a wide
demand for information about the plant, its identification,
geographical distribution, the conditions under which it grows,
methods of collecting and preparing the rhizomes, relations of supply
and demand, and the possibilities of its cultivation. This paper with
the exception of the part relating to cultivation was prepared (under
the direction of Dr. Rodney H. True, Physiologist in Charge of Drug
and Medicinal Plant Investigations) by Miss Alice Henkel, Assistant
in Drug and Medicinal Plant Investigations; and Mr. G. Fred Klugh,
Scientific Assistant in the same office, in charge of Cultural
Experiments in the Testing Gardens, furnished the part treating of
the cultivation of this plant. In the preparation of this paper,
which was undertaken to meet the demand for information relative to
Golden Seal, now fast disappearing from our forests, many facts have
been obtained from Lloyd's Drugs and Medicines of North America.
Lyster H. Dewey, Acting Botanist.
Office of Botanical Investigations and Experiments,
Washington, D. C, Sept. 7, 1904.
History.
As in the case of many other native medicinal plants, the early
settlers learned of the virtues of Golden Seal thru the American
Indians, who used the root as a medicine and the yellow juice as a
stain for their faces and a dye for their clothing.
The Indians regarded Golden Seal as a specific for sore and inflamed
eyes and it was a very popular remedy with pioneers of Ohio and
Kentucky for this affliction, as also for sore mouth, the root being
chewed for the relief of the last named trouble.
Barton in his "Collection for an Essay towards a Materia Medica of
the United States," 1804, speaks of the use of a spiritual infusion
of the root of Golden Seal as a tonic bitters in the western part of
Pennsylvania and the employment of an infusion of the root in cold
water as a wash for inflammation of the eyes.
According to Dr. C. S. Rafinesque, in his Medical Flora in 1829, the
Indians also employed the juice or infusion for many "external
complaints, as a topic tonic" and that "some Indians employ it as a
diuretic stimulant and escharotic, using the powder for blistering
and the infusion for the dropsy."
He states further that "internally it is used as a bitter tonic, in
infusion or tincture, in disorders of the stomach, the liver," etc.
It was not until the demand was created for Golden Seal by the
eclectic school of practitioners, about 1747, that it became an
article of commerce, and in 1860 the root was made official in the
Pharmacopoeia of the United States, which place it has held to the
present time.
Habitat and Range.
Golden Seal occurs in patches in high open woods where there is
plenty of leaf mold, and usually on hillsides or bluffs affording
nature drainage, but it is not found in very moist or swampy
situations, in prairie land, or in sterile soil. It is native from
southern New York to Minnesota and western Ontario, south to Georgia
and Missouri, ascending to an altitude of 2,500 feet in Virginia. It
is now becoming scarce thruout its range. Not all of this region,
however, produced Golden Seal in abundance. Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky
and West Virginia have been the greatest Golden Seal producing
states, while in some localities in southern Illinois, southern
Missouri, northern Arkansas, and central and western Tennessee the
plant, tho common, could not be said to be sufficiently plentiful to
furnish any large amount of the root. In other portions of its range
it is sparingly distributed.
Common Names.
Many common names have been applied to this plant in different
localities, most of them bearing some reference to the characteristic
yellow color of the root, such as yellow root, yellow puccoon,
orange-root, yellow paint, yellow Indian paint, golden root, Indian
dye, curcuma, wild curcuma, wild tumeric, Indian tumeric, jaundice
root and yellow eye; other names are eyebalm, eye-root and ground
raspberry. Yellow root, a popular name for it, is misleading, as it
has been applied to other plants also, namely to gold thread, false
bittersweet, twinleaf and the yellow-wood. The name Golden Seal,
derived from its yellow color and seal-like scars on the root, has
been, however, generally adopted.
Description of the Plant.
It is a perennial plant and the thick yellow rootstock sends up an
erect, hairy stem about a foot in height, around the base of which
are two or three yellowish scales. The stems, as they emerge from the
ground, are bent over, the tops still remaining underground, and
sometimes the stems show some distance above the surface before the
tops are brought out from the soil. The yellow color of the roots and
scales extends partly up the stem so far as it is covered by soil,
while the portion of the stem above the ground has a purplish color.
Golden seal has only two leaves (rarely three), the stem bearing
these seeming to fork at the top, one branch supporting a large leaf
and the other a smaller one and a flower. Occasionally there is a
third leaf, much smaller than the other two and stemless.
The leaves are prominently veined on the lower surface, and are
palmately 5 to 9 lobed, the lobes broad, acute, sharply and unequally
toothed. The leaves are only partially developed at flowering time
and are very much wrinkled, but they continue to expand until they
are from 6 to 8 inches in diameter, becoming thinner in texture and
smoother. The upper leaf subtends or encloses the flower bud.
Early in spring, about April or May, the flower appears, but few ever
see it as it lasts only five or six days. It is greenish-white, less
than half an inch in diameter, and has no petals, but instead three
small petal-like sepals, which fall away as soon as the flower
expands, leaving only the stamens--as many as 40 or 50--in the center
of which are about a dozen pistils, which finally develop into a
round, fleshy, berrylike head. The fruit ripens in July or August,
turning a bright red and resembling a large raspberry, whence the
common name ground raspberry, is derived. Each fruit contains from 10
to 20 small, black, shining, hard seeds.
If the season has been moist, the plant sometimes persists to the
beginning of winter, but if it has been a dry season it dies soon
after the fruit is ripe, so that by the end of September no trace of
the plant remains above the ground. In a patch of Golden Seal there
are always many sterile stems, simple and erect, bearing a solitary
leaf at the apex but no flower.
Mr. Homer Bowers, of Montgomery county, Ind., who propagated Golden
Seal from the seed for the purpose of studying its germination and
growth, states that the plant grown from naturally sown seed often
escapes observation during the first year of its existence owing to
the fact that in this entire period nothing but two round seed leaves
are produced and at this stage the plant does not look materially
different from other young seedings. During its second year from seed
one basal leaf is sent up, followed in the third year by another
smaller leaf and the flower.
Description of the Rhizome, or Rootstock.
The rhizome (rootstock) and rootlets of Golden Seal, or hydrastis, as
it is also known in the drug trade, are the parts employed in
medicine. The full-grown rhizome, when fresh, is of a bright yellow
color, both internally and externally, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in
length, and from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in thickness.
Fibrous yellow rootlets are produced from the sides of the rhizome.
The fresh rhizome contains a large amount of yellow juice, and gives
off a rank, nauseating odor. When dry the rhizome measures from one
to two inches in length and from one-eighth to one-third of an inch
in diameter.
It is crooked, knotty, wrinkled, of a dull brown color outside, and
breaks with a clean, short, resinous fracture, showing a lemon-yellow
color if the root is not old. If the dried root is kept for a long
time it will be greenish-yellow or brown internally, and becomes
inferior in quality. On the upper surface of the rhizome are several
depressions, left by former annual stems, which resemble the imprint
of a seal; hence the name Golden Seal.
The fibrous rootlets become very wiry and brittle in drying, break
off readily and leaving only small protuberances, so that the root as
found in commerce is sometimes almost bare. The dried rhizome has
also a peculiar, somewhat narcotic, disagreeable odor, but not so
pronounced as in the fresh material; an exceedingly bitter taste; and
a persistent acridity which causes an abundant flow of saliva when
the rhizome is chewed.
Collection and Preparation of the Root.
The root should be collected in autumn after the plants have matured.
Spring-dug root shrinks far more in drying and always commands a
lower price than the fall-dug root. After the roots are removed from
the earth they should be carefully freed from soil and all foreign
particles. They should then be sorted and small, undeveloped roots
and broken pieces may be laid aside for replanting. After the roots
have been cleaned and sorted they are ready to be dried or cured.
Great care and judgment are necessary in drying the roots. It is
absolutely necessary that they should be perfectly dry before packing
and storing, as the presence of moisture induces the development of
molds and mildews, and of course renders them worthless. The roots
are dried by the exposure to the air, being spread out in thin layers
on drying frames or upon a large, clean, dry floor. They should be
turned several times during the day, repeating this day after day
until the roots are thoroughly dried. If dried out of doors they
should be placed under cover upon indication of rain and at night so
that they may not be injured by dew. After the roots are thoroughly
dried they may be packed as tightly as possible in dry sacks or
barrels and they are then ready for shipment.
Diminution of Supply.
Altho, perhaps, in some secluded localities Golden Seal may still be
found rather abundantly, the supply is rapidly diminishing and there
is a growing scarcity of the plant thruout its range. With the
advance of civilization and increase in population came a growing
demand for many of our native medicinal plants and a corresponding
decrease in the sources of supply. As the rich forest lands of the
Ohio valley and elsewhere were required for the needs of the early
settlers they were cleared of timber and cultivated, and the Golden
Seal, deprived of the shelter and protection necessary to its
existence, gradually disappeared, as it will not thrive on land that
is cultivated.
Where it was not destroyed in this manner the root diggers,
diligently plying their vocation, did their share toward
exterminating this useful little plant, which they collected
regardless of the season, either before the plants had made much
growth in the spring or before the seeds had matured and been
disseminated, thus destroying all means of propagation. The demand
for the root appears to be increasing, and the time seems to be not
far distant when this plant will have become practically
exterminated, so far as the drug supply is concerned.
The cultivation of golden seal seems now to have become a necessity
in order to meet the demand and save the plant from extinction. Prior
to 1900 there seemed to be no one, so far as the Department of
Agriculture could ascertain, who had ever attempted the cultivation
of golden seal for the market. From that time on, many inquiries were
directed to the Department by persons who were quick to note the
upward tendency of prices for golden seal and there are now several
growers in different parts of the country who have undertaken the
cultivation of golden seal on a commercial scale.
Cultivation.
The United States Department of Agriculture has been carrying on
experiments in the cultivation of Golden Seal on a small scale at
Washington, D. C., since the spring of 1899, in the hope that methods
might be worked out according to which this valuable wild drug plant
could be grown on a commercial scale. In these experiments the aim
has been to imitate the natural conditions of growth as closely as
possible. The results that have thus far been obtained, while not as
complete in some respects as would be desirable, seem to justify the
conclusion that Golden Seal can be successfully cultivated. The
methods of operation described apply to the conditions at Washington,
and the treatment may need to be somewhat modified under other
conditions of soil and climate.
Necessary Soil Conditions.
The soil conditions should imitate as closely as possible those seen
in thrifty deciduous forest. The soil should contain an ample supply
of humus, well worked into the ground, to secure the lightness and
moisture-retaining property of forest soils. The best form of humus
is probably leaf mold, but good results may be obtained by mulching
in the autumn or early winter with leaves, straw, stable manure, or
similar materials.
After the soil has been prepared and planted, it is well to add a
mulch in the fall as a partial protection to the roots during the
winter, and the decay of this material adds to the value of the soil
by the time the plants appear in the spring. The forest conditions
are thus imitated by the annual addition of vegetable matter to the
soil, which by its gradual decay accumulates an increasing depth of a
soil rich in materials adapted to the feeding of the plants and to
the preservation of proper physical conditions.
The growth of the weeds is also hindered to a considerable extent. If
sufficient attention is given to the presence of this mulch, the
nature of the underlying soil is of less importance than otherwise.
In the case of clay the thorough incorporation of a large amount of
decayed vegetable matter tends to give lightness to the otherwise
heavy soil, facilitating aeration and drainage. Since the roots of
the Golden Seal do not grow well in a wet soil, thorough drainage is
necessary. A lighter, sandy soil is improved by the addition of
humus, since its capacity to hold moisture is thereby increased and
the degree of fertility is improved.
The looser the soil, the easier it is to remove the roots in digging
without breaking or injuring them. Before planting, the soil should
be thoroughly prepared to a depth of at least 6 or 8 inches, so as to
secure good aeration and drainage. The good tilth thus secured will
be in a degree preserved by the continued addition of the mulch. A
further advantage of a careful preparation is seen in a decrease in
the amount of cultivation required later.
Artificial Shade.
Since the Golden Seal grows naturally in the woods, it must be
protected from the full light of the sun by artificial shade. That
used in connection with the experiments of the Department was made of
ordinary pine plastering lath, nailed to a suitable frame elevated on
posts. The posts were of cedar 8 1/2 feet long, set 2 1/2 feet in the
ground in rows 11 feet apart, and 16 feet distance from each other in
the rows. Supports 2 by 4 inches were set on cedar blocks 2 feet long
sunk below the soil surface in the middle of the 16-foot spaces. Pine
pieces 2 by 4 inches were nailed edgewise to the tops of the posts
and supports. The posts were notched to receive the 2 by 4-inch
sticks. Pieces 2 by 4 inches were nailed across these at intervals of
4 feet. The laths were nailed to these, leaving spaces about an inch
wide.
This shade has been found to be satisfactory, as it is high enough
above the ground to allow such work as is necessary in preparing and
cultivating the land. If the lathing is extended 2 or 3 feet beyond
the posts on the sunny sides, injury from the sun's rays at the edges
of the area will be prevented. The sides may be protected by portable
board walls about 2 feet high set around the edges. Protection from
injury by winds when the tops are large may be thus secured. Too much
dampness should be guarded against in the use of the board sides,
since conditions might be developed favorable to the damping off
fungus and to aphides during the hot, rainy periods.
Trees may be used for shade, but this is in some ways to be regarded
as unsatisfactory. When the shade produced is of the right density,
the use of the moisture and raw food materials of the soil by the
trees is an undesirable feature.
Attention Required.
The cultivation of Golden Seal is simple. Having secured a deep,
loose soil, rich in humus, renewed annually by the application of a
new mulch, the removal of weeds is the chief care. The soil, if
properly prepared, will tend to maintain itself in good condition.
The manner of treatment is very similar to that required by Ginseng,
which is also a plant of moist woods. If the ground is thoroughly
prepared, beds are not absolutely necessary. The plants may be grown
in rows 1 foot apart and 6 inches apart in the rows. Beds may be
thought by some to be more convenient, enabling the grower to remove
the weeds and collect the seed more readily. If beds are used, they
may be made from 4 to 8 feet wide, running the entire length of the
shade, with walks from 18 inches to 2 feet wide between. Boards 6 or
8 inches wide are set up around the sides of the beds, being held in
place by stakes driven on each side of the board in the center and at
the ends. These beds are filled with prepared soil, and the plants
are set 8 inches apart each way.
Methods of Propagation.
There are three possible ways of propagating the plant: (1) by seed;
(2) by division of the rhizomes; (3) by means of small plants formed
on the stronger fibrous roots. Thus far no success has been attained
in growing Golden Seal from the seed. The second and third methods
have given better results.
Experiments With Seeds.
Seeds just after ripening were planted in sandy soil mixed with well
rotted stable manure and mulched lightly with manure. Other lots were
kept over winter in a dry condition and planted in the spring in
potting soil in a greenhouse. No seedlings have appeared, but a long
rest period may be demanded and the seed may yet germinate.
Experiments With Divided Rhizomes.
In the spring of 1902, 40 plants were secured and planted under a
shade of temporary character, but the season was too far advanced to
permit of much growth during that year. In 1903, proper shade was
supplied, all other conditions were better, and the plants made a
good growth. The crop was dug about the middle of November 1903; the
roots were weighed and divided. They were again planted and in May,
1904, there were found to be 150 strong plants and a few smaller ones
as a result of this division, an increase of 275 per cent.
This method of propagation seems to be the most important and the
other two of second importance. The processes are simple and no skill
is needed. The plant dies down in late summer and the stem decays,
leaving a scar in its place on the rhizome. Two or more buds are
formed on the sides of the rhizome and these accumulate energy for
growth the following spring. If the root is cut in as many pieces as
there are buds, giving each plant a portion of the rhizome, some
fibrous roots, and one or more buds, the number of the plants can be
doubled. The roots are planted and mulched and the process is
complete. The rains pack the soil around the roots and they are ready
to grow when spring comes. The process may be repeated every year and
the number of roots increased indefinitely.
The stronger fibrous roots of the larger plants dug in the autumn of
1903 were formed from a few inches to a foot from the rhizome. Some
were about half an inch long, but the majority of them were smaller.
The larger ones need no special treatment and may be planted with the
main crop. The smaller ones should be planted in boxes or beds of
well prepared soil, at a distance of about 3 inches apart, mulched
with a thin coating of leaf mold or similar material, and grown in
shade until large enough to transplant to the shelter with the larger
plants. They will probably require at least three years to reach
their full development.
If they could be left undisturbed in the beds where they are formed
they would receive nourishment from the older rhizomes and perhaps
grow faster, but it is probably best to divide the older roots every
year where propagation alone is desired, planting the smaller roots
and the plants made by division of the rhizomes. The larger roots are
marketed to more advantage than the smaller ones, so it is best to
have the surplus consist of the larger roots. The frequent working of
the soil allowed by this treatment will keep it in better condition
than if left undisturbed for a longer period.
Yield of Roots.
The yield from the small plant grown by the Department was 4 pounds
of green roots to an eighth of a square rod of soil, or 5,120 pounds
per acre. This, when dried, would give about 1,500 pounds of
marketable roots. The conditions were not very good, the shade being
too close to the plants and the plants being set too far apart. The
yield will probably be larger with the shade now in use. The 150
roots obtained by dividing the above crop now occupy less than
one-fourth of a square rod and are set in rows one foot apart and 6
inches apart in the rows.
Time Necessary to Mature Crop.
The number of years necessary to produce the largest crop has not
been definitely determined, but the roots begin to decay after the
fourth year and the central and largest part of the root decays at
the oldest scar, leaving two or more plants in place of the old one.
No advantage can be gained by growing the plants more than three
years and probably very little by growing them more than two years.
For propagation alone, one year will give good results, while for
maintaining a constant area and producing a crop, two or three years,
depending upon the growth made, will give a good crop of large,
marketable roots.
Market Conditions.
Golden Seal is a root the price of which has fluctuated widely,
because of the alternate oversupply and scarcity, manipulation of the
market, lack of demand, or other influences. High prices will cause
the diggers to gather the root in abundance, thus overstocking the
market, which the next season results in lower prices, at which
diggers refuse to collect the root, thus again causing a shortage in
the supply. Lack of demand usually brings about a shrinkage in price,
even tho the supply is light, while an active demand will cause
prices to advance in spite of a plentiful supply.
The arrival of spring dug root has a weakening effect on the market,
altho the fall dug root is always preferred. For the past few years,
however, high prices have been steadily maintained and there appears
to be but one cause for this and that is, as already pointed out,
that the forests no longer yield unlimited quantities of this
valuable root, as in former years, and the scant supply that can be
had is inadequate to meet the constantly increasing demand.
According to the market reports contained in the Oil, Paint and Drug
Reporter, the year 1904 opened with a quotation of 74 to 75 cents,
will soon advance (in one week early in February) from 76 cents to 95
cents. A still further advance occurred about the end of February,
when the price went up from $1.00 to $1.25 per pound. In March the
market was almost destitute of supplies, but lack of interest brought
the price down to $1.10. In May the price again advanced to $1.25 and
it was stated that the local supplies were being held by a small
number of dealers, altho it was believed that together they held not
more than 1,000 pounds. About June 1st the arrival of spring dug
roots caused the market to sag, prices ranging from $1.10 to $1.18
during that month and in July from 90 cents to $1.10.
In August the lowest price was $1.15 and the highest $1.50, no
discrimination being made between the fall dug and the spring dug
roots. From September 1st to October 15th, 1904, the price of Golden
Seal varied but little, $1.35 being the lowest and $1.40 the highest
quotation. No supplies worth mentioning can be obtained in the West;
the stock in New York is short and the demand, especially for export,
is increasing. It is impossible to ascertain the exact annual
consumption of Golden Seal root, but the estimates furnished by
reliable dealers place these figures at from 200,000 to 300,000
pounds annually, about one-tenth of which is probably used for
export.
It will be observed that the price of this article is very sensitive
to market conditions and it seems probable that the point of
overproduction would be easily reached if a large number of Golden
Seal growers were to meet with success in growing large areas of this
drug.
By Alice Henkel, Assistant, and G. Fred Flugh,
Scientific Assistant, Drug and Medicinal Plant Investigations.
U. S. Department of Agriculture.