Goldenseal Root (Hydrastis canadensis), grows in the wild in the eastern United States and southern Canada. The plant is a low growing, sprawling leafy plant found in rich shady soil in forested areas. It is in the Ranunculaceae, or buttercup family. The part of the plant most often used as a remedy is the underground rhizome. This root has a deep yellow color, which probably lead to the names “yellow root’ and ‘orange root’. It is high in berberine- a bright yellow very bitter alkaloid, which, along with other alkaloids, including canadine and hydrastine, gives goldenseal its distinctive color, along with many of its helpful properties.*
