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Solidago virgaurea - L.
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| Common Name
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Goldenrod
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| Family
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Compositae
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| Synonyms
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| Known Hazards
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None known
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| Habitats
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Dry woods, grassland, rocks, cliffs, hedgebanks, dunes etc on acid or calcareous soils[17].
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| Range
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Most of Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia and N. America.
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Edibility Rating 
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| Medicinal Rating
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| | Care
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| Physical Characteristics
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PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.4 m (1ft 4in).
It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from Jul to October, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, self.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.It requires dry or moist soil.
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| Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Meadow; Hedgerow;
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| Edible Uses
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A tea is obtained from the leaves[46, 61, 183].
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| Medicinal Uses
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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.
Anthelmintic; Anticoagulant; Antifungal; Antiinflammatory; Antiseptic; Aromatic; Astringent; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Febrifuge;
Stimulant.
Goldenrod is a safe and gentle remedy for a number of disorders. In particular, it is a valuable astringent remedy treating wounds and bleeding, whilst it is particularly useful in the treatment of urinary tract disorders, being used both for serious ailments such as nephritis and for more common problems such as cystitis[254]. The plant contains saponins that are antifungal and act specifically against the Candida fungus which is the cause of vaginal and oral thrush[238, 254]. It also contains rutin which is used to treat capillary fragility, and phenolic glycosides which are anti-inflammatory[238].
The leaves and flowering tops are anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, febrifuge and stimulant[4, 7, 9, 21, 147, 165]. A good vulnerary herb, it has also proved of value when used internally in the treatment of urinary infections, chronic catarrh, skin diseases, influenza, whooping cough, bladder and kidney stones etc[4, 238]. Due to its mild action, goldenrod is used to treat gastro-enteritis in children[254]. It makes an excellent mouthwash in the treatment of thrush[7]. The plant is gathered in the summer and dried for later use[7].
The seed is anticoagulant, astringent and carminative[218].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. It is used in the treatment of kidney and bladder disorders, rheumatism and arthritis[9].
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| Other Uses
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Dye.
Mustard, orange and brown dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].
A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves and flowers[4, 100].
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| Cultivation details
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An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture retentive soil in sun or semi-shade[200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
A rather greedy plant, it is apt to impoverish the soil[1].
The bruised plant smells like wild carrots[4].
The sub-species S. virgaurea minuta is only 10cm tall and wide[188].
The plant attracts various beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies to the garden, these insects will help to control insect pests in the garden[201, 238].
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| Propagation
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Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to become dry. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in pots. Plant them out into their permanent positions in spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
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| Botanical References
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| 17200
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| Links / References
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| [1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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| Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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| [4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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| Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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| [7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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| [9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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| Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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| [17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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| A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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| [21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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| Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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| [46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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| 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.
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| [61]Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
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| Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
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| [100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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| An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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| [147]? A Barefoot Doctors Manual.
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| A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
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| [165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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| An excellent small herbal.
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| [168]Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.
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| A very good and readable book on dyeing.
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| [183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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| Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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| [188]Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
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| Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
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| [200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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| Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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| [201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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| A well produced and very readable book.
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| [218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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| Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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| [238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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| 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.
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| [254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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| An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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| Subject : Solidago virgaurea |
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