May 2026

Polyphenols in herbal medicine

• Week 1: Polyphenols in herbal medicine
• Week 2: Hawthorn – A Heart Feeling Herb
• Week 3: Milk Thistle – Liver First Aid
• Week 4: Goldenrod – The Golden Healer

Goldenrod is a vibrant flower that blooms in late summer and early fall. Many people who struggle with fall allergies blame goldenrod for their symptoms, when in fact ragweed is the culprit. Both plants are members of the Asteraceae family, grow in roadside ditches and open fields, and bloom at the same time.

Goldenrod – The Golden Healer

What’s in the name

The common name goldenrod is clearly due to the golden stalks that appear in late summer, when the plant is in full bloom.

Solidago, the botanical name is derived from the Latin words solidus (“whole”) and ago (“to make”), or bring together, referencing its historical use in medieval herbal medicine as a prominent wound healing remedy. 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae

Part used: The aerial parts, leaves, and flowers

Degree: 3rd degree. Goldenrod is not the type of herb you would use as food (1st degree) or use as seasoning (2nd degree), however, it is also not a small dose botanical (4th degree)

Description

Goldenrod grows to 2-3 feet in height. The green leaves alternate around the stem. At its top goldenrod stem branches with clusters of golden flowers that bloom at the end of summer.

Growing 

Goldenrod is an herbaceous perennial that thrives in full sun and well drained soil. Some people grow goldenrod in their gardens because of its beautiful flowers and because it is easy to cultivate. Where I live, goldenrod is found in abundance in meadows where it can easily be wildcrafted. 

History and lore

Many traditions considered goldenrod a symbol of good luck, wealth, and prosperity. It was believed that finding a goldenrod on your path meant fortune was about to smile upon you. 

In ancient Greece, for example, goldenrod was dedicated to the Greek god of wealth, Plutus, and was believed to attract financial success. Native American traditions, honored goldenrod as a symbol of protection and healing and is used as a good luck charm. 

In England, goldenrod was used as a divining rod to find hidden springs of water and hidden gold and silver. There is quite a bit of lore surrounding the harvesting of the divining rod, saying that it must be cut after sunset and before sunrise, and only on certain holidays, the first night of a new moon, or the night before. The person harvesting the rod was to face the East, “so that it shall be one which catches the first rays of the morning sun, or it will be valueless,” and some traditions considered the seventh son of a seventh son to be the most fitting person to do the divining.

Goldenrod is significantly woven into United States history. After the Boston Tea Party, the infamous dumping of imported tea into Boston Harbor to protest British taxation, the colonists had to find native alternatives for their favorite hot beverage, and goldenrod leaves were the first plant used to brew tea. Goldenrod tea became known as “Liberty Tea.” 

Energetic Architecture

Ruling Planet

The 7th-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper associated goldenrod with Venus. Historically, Solidago (goldenrod) has been used for skin issues and to heal wounds, enhance beauty; actions ruled by Venus.

Also, the abundance of bright yellow flowers was considered a sign that goldenrod attracts gold and fortune, which are Venusian traits.

Ruling Element

In some places, I read that goldenrod is associated with the water element, as it likes to dip its feet in water and has an astringent effect on the water element in the upper respiratory tract and eyes in allergic reactions.

However, I also heard it mentioned in association with the air element because of its feathery appearance and its movement in the wind. 

Psychological Profile

Goldenrod is a plant that helps you keep going when all you can do is take one step, and then another, and another. It brings a quality of sunshine when the gray clouds hang low above your head.

The fiery flowers are a symbol of inner fire, full willpower, resilience, direction, purpose, but also burnout, carrying more than possible, losing sight of our surroundings in the face of a singular goal.

In her book “ Health Through God’s Pharmacy, herbalist Maria Treben writes:

“Goldenrod proves its worth as a medicinal plant which influences the human emotions most favourably. It should therefore be drunk without delay in cases of disappointment and emotional stress”

Taste

• Bitter
• Pungent 
• Astringent

Energetics

Temperature: Warming

Fluids: Drying

Tone: Toning

Because goldenrod is warming and drying, when formulating, consider using it alongside plantain, a mild, moistening demulcent, and peach leaves, which are cooling and anti-inflammatory. 

Tissue State

The six tissue states represent conditions of excess and deficiency.

Damp/ Stagnation – when there is excess production of mucus that is leaking from the tissue, such as in a leaky nose, and teary eyes associated with seasonal allergies. Goldenrod energetically dries; it moves stagnation, promotes fluid circulation, and supports excretion. 

lax/ – tissues that have lost tone, structure, and elasticity, resulting in saggy, weak, or leaky conditions. As an astringent, goldenrod tones the tissue, helps restore form, and stops leakage.

Pharmacology

Glycosides – contain a sugar molecule bound to a non-sugar bioactive compound, which increases goldenrod bioavailability because it makes it water soluble (70% of the body is fluids) and can be cleaved by gut bacteria, releasing the non-sugar compound in the gut. 

Polyphenolic acids – including flavonoid molecules flavanones,  quercetin, and kaempferol that are responsible for its mast cell stabilizing action.

The polyphenolic acids act as antioxidants, scavenging for free radicals, reducing inflammation, and building tissue tone and integrity. 

Quercetin and kaempferol are both  mast cell stabilizers that inhibit COX and 5-LOX pathways, thus reducing inflammation.

Triterpene saponins are soap  like compounds that increase urination, promote expectoration from the upper respiratory tract, and act as anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. 

Monoterpenes – are volatile oils that are aromatic and warming, that increase circulation and act as antibacterials and bronchodialators. 

sesquiterpenes – bitter compounds that bind to bitter receptors on the tongue and the gut, promoting digestion. Also, inhibiting NF-κB, the main inflammatory switch. 

Actions

Foundational action

The Foundational action is associated with the energetic pattern and can be experienced viscerally in the body.

Goldenrod is astringent, meaning  it causes tissue  to  contract; it is indicated  when  tissues  are weak, atonic, and/or “leaking” because the tissues don’t have the tone they need to hold in fluids. It is beneficial for swollen or injured tissue. 

Primary actions

Primary actions relate to organs, systems, or tissues.

• Kidney tonic – Through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, goldenrod helps protect and support the kidneys. 
• Diuretic – A gentle diuretic, goldenrod’s glycosides dilate the small blood vessels in the kidneys, increasing blood flow to the kidneys. At the same time, the saponins from goldenrod act as mild irritants on the filtering tubules, promoting fluid secretion. 
• Anticatarrhal – Catarrh refers to excessive mucus production and accumulation in mucous membranes, classically in the upper respiratory tract. Golderod reduces boggy mucus by toning and tightening boggy, overly permeable mucous membranes through its anti-inflammatory action and by stabilizing mast cells. 

Secondary actions

Secondary actions imply an end result without specifying energetics or the system affected. 

Anti-inflammatory – Goldenrod reduces inflammation in the urinary and upper respiratory tracts and cools down allergic inflammatory conditions. When used topically, goldenrod reduces musculoskeletal inflammation.

Antiseptic – Goldenrod is beneficial for  urinary tract infections, both bacterial and yeast, and for upper respiratory infections.

Organ affinity

• Upper respiratory tract
• Urinary tract

Clinical Patterns

Urinary tract support

Golderod has a long history of use for urinary tract conditions. 

Peter Holmes, herbalist and author of Energetics of Western Herbs, writes: 

“Goldenrod is one of the very few known trophorestoratives to the kidney organ. In any chronic kidney condition, this remedy is an indispensable asset and should be used long term.”

The polyphenols in goldenrod, including flavanones,  quercetin, and kaempferol, are absorbed by the gut lining, conjugated by the liver into water soluble compounds, and then eliminated by the kidneys. Goldenrod’s active compounds are essentially concentrated and delivered to the kidney and urinary tract by normal metabolic processing.

Diuretic

Most diuretic herbs work by irritating the kidneys. Irritation causes the kidney to flush the irritant out, leading to increased urine production as a side effect. 

Goldenrod has a different mechanism of action that works with the body’s natural diuretic signal without “pushing” the kidneys into action. ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide) is a cardiac hormone that regulates fluid and blood pressure by acting directly on the kidneys. BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide)  acts as a crucial communicator between the heart and kidneys. When the heart works harder, it releases BNP, which signals the kidneys to excrete water and salt, thereby reducing blood pressure and the heart’s workload. NEP is the enzyme that breaks these signals down and turns them off.

Goldenrod flavonoids inhibit NEP, prolonging the duration and effectiveness of the body’s diuretic signals. Instead, it overrides the body’s normal function with an external irritant; goldenrod restores normal regulatory function. 

The mild diuretic effects of goldenrod can be beneficial in conditions such as edema or high blood pressure caused by fluid retention.

Urinary tract infection

Goldenrod has a long history of use for urinary tract infections; modern science now confirms its antimicrobial activity in the urinary tract. 

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli are Gram negative bacteria that are the leading cause of urinary tract infections. In many cases, UTI becomes a chronic condition because bacteria establish a mature biofilm on the bladder epithelium, making it dramatically harder for antibiotics to penetrate; within the biofilm, bacteria can exist in metabolically dormant states that are largely antibiotic resistant. 

A 2021 in vitro study found that goldenrod has antimicrobial activity against Uropathogenic Escherichia coli, supporting its traditional use as a urinary antiseptic. In addition, goldenrod suppressed biofilm formation. However, the results do not support using goldenrod alongside antibiotics, as it didn’t show synergy with antibiotics and shortened the post-antibiotic effect, increasing the risk of recurrence. 

Clinically, this study suggests that goldenrod’s antiseptic effects are beneficial in the early stages of a mild UTI, when no antibiotic is needed.

The antiseptic effect of goldenrod in treating UTI is compounded by its mild diuretic properties, which help flush the infection out, as well as its modest spasmolytic, antioxidant, and analgesic properties. 

Interstitial cystitis

The urinary tract tissue of people who struggle with Interstitial cystitis shows an increased number of mast cells compared to normal bladder tissue. These mast cells are chronically activated, releasing histamine, tryptase, TNF-α, and NGF (nerve growth factor). 

Hypersensitivity in the urinary tract involves increased permeability of the UT endothelium, which contributes to the sensation of burning and pain. The UT endothelium acts as a sensory web that sends, receives, and amplifies information in the extracellular environment. Altered signals in the UT can affect the tissue, leading to increased permeability and inflammation that are very similar to those of leaky gut. 

Goldenrod can support people with Interstitial cystitis due to its mast cells stabilizing, anti-inflammatory, mild diuretic, and mild anti-spasmodic effects. 

Respiratory

Traditionally, the young flowers and leaves of goldenrod were used to treat excess mucus and leakage from the upper respiratory tract (nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, throat, and voice box) due to allergies and hay fever. 

Goldenrod flowers contain a high amount of volatile oils, which give them a pungent aroma. The aromatic terpenes can volatilize across the alveolar membrane (air sacs), be exhaled through the bronchial tree, irritate the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract, stimulate mucous secretion, and thin and loosen mucus.

In addition, quercetin in goldenrod reduces inflammation by inhibiting the enzyme that promotes leukotriene synthesis.  Leukotrienes are potent bronchoconstrictors; for people with allergies, hay fever, and asthma, goldenrod can help prevent bronchoconstriction and make breathing easier. 

Another effect of quercetin is the stabilization of mast cells, which prevents the histamine release cascade and the resulting symptoms of upper respiratory congestion, teary eyes, brain fog, and fatigue. 

Preparation and dosage

When extracting compounds from goldenrod, you want to consider their bioavailability.

Standard infusion of goldenrod extracts yields flavonoid glycosides, phenolic acids, saponins, tannins, and polysaccharides, which account for goldenrod’s mast cell-stabilizing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. 

Dosage: 15 grams in a quart of water daily

A 50% alcohol extraction of goldenrod will extract flavonoid glycosides, phenolic acids, saponins, aromatics, and tannins. Alcohol extraction better preserves the aromatic compounds responsible for the antiseptic elimination pathway through the lungs and urinary tract.

Tincture fresh 1:2 95%A

Tincture dry 1:5 50%A

Dosage: 2-4 ml 0.4-0.8 tsp 1-4 times daily

Glycerides: Dried flowers 1:8 

Dosage: 2.5-10ml 0.5-2 tsp 2-4 times daily

Topical use: Dried flowers 1:4 in oil, apply 2-3 times daily

Safety

Generally safe.

Avoid if allergic to the Aster botanical family such as chamomile, calendula, elecampane etc

Avoid in conditions of edema due to kidney failure. If the kidney itself has failed, pushing more blood through damaged nephrons or irritating compromised tubules is harmful rather than helpful.