Goldthread

Scientific Names

Coptis trifolia L.
Coptis groenlandica L.
Buttercup family

Common Names

Canker root
Huang-lien (Chinese name)
Mouthroot
Vegetable gold
Yellowroot
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Goldthread is a low, small, perennial plant; from a slender, golden, creeping rootstock arise the basal, long-petioled, trifoliate, shiny evergreen leaves, each with three toothed leaflets, and the naked scapes, 3-6 inches high, which terminate in a small, white flower. Each flower has 5-7 petals and many stamens. Flowering time is May to August. The fruit is an oblong capsule or pod-like.

Another plant called Yellow root (Xanthorhiza simplicissima) is of the buttercup family also.
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Where Found

Found in mossy, cool, woods and swamps from Labrador south to Maryland and west to Minnesota, Iowa, and Tennessee. Also in Canada, Iceland, Siberia, and India.
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Medicinal Properties

Bitter tonic, antiphlogistic, sedative
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Legends, Myths and Stories

The plant gets its name from the threadlike, bright yellow roots. The yellow color comes from the berberine alkaloid. And, of course, the name canker root came from the fact that the herb treats canker sores.

The Native Americans and the colonists used the gold thread herb for any soreness in the mouth, but it is very bitter.
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Uses

Has been used internally as a bitter tonic, particularly for dyspepsia. Its main use has been as a wash or gargle for sores and ulcerations in the mouth, jaundice, throat, and even stomach. It has been a popular folk remedy for inflammations of mucous membranes in the mouth and around the eyes. It is said to help people combat the craving for alcohol. Improves appetite and was given to children for thrush. Contains berberine; anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Used in the treatment of alcoholism.
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Formulas or Dosages

Collect the rootstock in the fall.

Decoction: boil 1 tsp. rootstock in 1 cup water. Take 1 tbsp., 3-6 times a day; or use as a wash or gargle. Rootstock also may be chewed to alleviate mouth sores.

Tincture: take 5-10 drops at a time.

To make a tincture, place 1 oz. of the cut root in a pint of good brandy. Cap tightly and let it stand for 1 week, shaking the bottle once or twice a day. Strain. Dose: 1 tsp. in 1/2 glass water 3 times a day.
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Bibliography

Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000

Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, Shambala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973

American Folk Medicine, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973

Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023, 1984

How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts, by Frances Densmore, Dover Publications, Inc., 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974

An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants, by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).

Old Ways Rediscovered, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988

Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists, by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Company, Inc., West Nyack, NY, 1987.

The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.

The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, PA, 18049., 1974