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Packera aurea - (L.)Löve.&D.Löve.

Golden Groundsel

Author	(L.)Löve.&D.Löve.	Botanical references	43, 200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Packera
Synonyms	Senecio aureus - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Florida, west to Texas.
Habitat	Rich calcareous woods and bottoms and upland swamps[43]. Damp thickets and prairies[200].
Edibility Rating	0 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.8m by 0.5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Abortifacient; Birthing aid; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Pectoral; Stimulant; Tonic; Uterine tonic.

Golden groundsel is a medicinal plant that is deserving of greater attention[4]. This species was widely used by N. American Indians to treat various complaints of the female reproductive system, and also to ease childbirth[238]. Whilst often stated to be completely safe to use, recent research has found that the plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that, in isolation, can cause liver damage and so this remedy can no longer be recommended for internal use[238, 254]. The roots and leaves are abortifacient, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, pectoral, stimulant and uterine tonic[4, 46, 165, 207, 222]. It is used externally in the treatment of vaginal discharge[238]. A tea made from the plant was frequently used by the N. American Indians as a remedy for various female troubles, including the pain of childbirth[207, 213]. Pharmacologists have not reported any uterine effects, but the plant does contain an essential oil (inuline) plus the alkaloids senecine and senecionine (which are poisonous to grazing animals)[213]. The plant is harvested before flowering and the roots are harvested in the autumn, both are dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in a sunny position in most moderately fertile well-drained soils[200]. Prefers a damp to wet soil and also succeeds in partial shade[238]. Succeeds in the wild garden though it is invasive[200]. This species is cultivated in parts of Russia for use in the pharmaceutical industry[238]. A polymorphic species, there are many named varieties[43].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring[200]. Root cuttings in early spring[200].

Cultivars

There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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