Herb Garden: Goldenseal

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However, goldenseal should be taken only in small and infrequent doses... no more than 0.5 to 1.0 gram, and not more than three times daily. The ingestion of large quantities can overstimulate the nervous system and produce convulsions, miscarriage, and the excessive buildup of white corpuscles in the blood.

Once foraged almost to extinction, goldenseal can still be found (in late spring and summer) growing wild in some areas. But the herb is also relatively easy to cultivate. Select a spot that comes as close to duplicating the plant's natural environment as possible . . . that is, a site under trees (or lath) that will be shielded from direct sun but still get enough light to promote leaf and root growth.

Next, condition the soil—which will ideally be a clay-based medium—with sand, leaf mold, bone meal, and cottonseed meal until it's naturally moist (but well-drained) and fairly light. Do not add fertilizer.

You'll want to cultivate the conditioned soil to a depth of ten inches before planting either seeds, rootlets, or (the preferred method) budded pieces of rhizome. Mulch the bed in winter with leaves, hay, cowpeas, or bean vines . . . and in summer with hardwood sawdust. Given regular care, the plants should mature in three or four years.

Autumn is the best season for planting or harvesting this herb. After the tops have died down, uproot the rhizomes very carefully. Clean off the dirt and replant any small or undeveloped roots. Then dry the rhizomes on racks in a warm, shaded area or in mild sunlight.

Goldenseal can be purchased from [1] Gardens of the Blue Ridge, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 10, Pineola, North Carolina 28662 (catalog $2.00) ... [2] Redwood City Seed Co., Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 361, Redwood City, California 94064 (catalog 50¢) . . . and [3] Well.Sweep Herb Farm, Dept. TMEN, 317 Mount Bethel Road, Port Murray, New Jersey 07865 (catalog 75 ¢ ).

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