Goldenseal is a plant from buttercup family with tiny flower and palm-shaped leaves. This plant has been used for ages as herbal medicine, as this plant has distinctly bright yellow roots. In term of traditional or herbal medicine, people combine goldenseal with Echinacea which has the ability to complete and boost the health benefits of golden seal.
Echinacea is a flower comes from daisy family with pink and purple color. This beautiful flower is surprisingly amazing for health, and able to contribute beneficial value for the health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea.
Both goldenseal and Echinacea firstly used by native America. People from long ago might only combine these two ingredients into an herbal drink. But today, you can have many kinds of product from this beneficial herbal plant. For example, you can buy the goldenseal and Echinacea capsules for the simple and easy consumption. You can also get goldenseal and Echinacea essential oil, is extracted from the goldenseal roots, leaves, and flowers with Echinacea flower.
The Beneficial Value of Goldenseal and Echinacea
The health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea are mainly contributed by the beneficial substances in the supplement. Although it is called goldenseal and Echinacea supplement, there are some supporting addition elements in this supplement. Commonly, the supplement contains the following value.
Total carbohydrate 1 g from the following blend:
- Organic Echinacea purpurea (stem, leaf, flower)
- Goldenseal (root)
- Echinacea angustifolia (root)
- Burdock (root)
- Cayenne pepper
- Barberry (root)
- John Wort flower (flower buds and tops)
The Health Benefits of Goldenseal and Echinacea
The combination of goldenseal plant with Echinacea flower is able to perform such excellent health benefits of golden seal and Echinacea. Here are the benefits for our health:
- Improve immune system
These American perennial plants are excellent immunity booster. This benefit is supported by a research from university of Maryland Medical Center which concluded that both goldenseal and Echinacea own active substances which are able to enhance immunity.
The substances including antioxidants, natural pain killer, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. This benefit can also be gained from Health Benefits of Thieves Oil for Immunity.
- Prevent cold
Many researches including the research by Commission E Monograph of German proved that goldenseal and Echinacea is excellent to prevent common cold. Both ingredients perform an excellent job in improving immunity by improving the quality and quantity of white blood cell.
As we know, white blood cell possesses a significant role in fighting infection. Not only beneficial for the prevention action toward cold, goldenseal and Echinacea is also powerful to boost the recovery process of the cold.
- Treat UTI
UTI or Urinary Tract Infection can be treated using goldenseal and Echinacea combination. This benefit is mainly credited to the alkaloid content in this herbal supplement. Alkaloid helps fight bacterial infection within the urinary tract. This benefit can also be obtained from the Health Benefits of Tea with Raspberry.
- Treat sore throat
Goldenseal and Echinacea is combined not because they perform the similar effect, but because they have the ability which is complementary to each other. Let’s take an example. We can use goldenseal and Echinacea capsule or essential oil to treat sore throat.
The combination is effective since goldenseal owns the ability to treat the infection which is the main cause of sore throat. In addition to the health benefit, Echinacea reduce the inflammation and aching of sore throat.
- Aid digestive tract
Both goldenseal and Echinacea have a hint of bitter taste. However, the bitterness is considered to be beneficial for health, as it is able to clean the digestive tract and further prevent the infection within the digestive tract.
One of the health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea for digestion is the effectiveness of these herbal medicines to treat diarrhea. Goldenseal and Echinacea is able to perform their anti-bacterial property and effectively treat diarrhea.
- treat ear infection
Echinacea is known to be very good in treating ear infection. Therefore, we can use goldenseal and Echinacea essential oil for ear infection. Simply drop the oil to the infected ear to soothe the aching and boost the recovery process. Besides goldenseal and Echinacea, you can also use turmeric oil to get the Health Benefits of Turmeric Oil for ear infection.
- cure herpes
Goldenseal and Echinacea is effective to cure herpes virus. This health benefits has been proved by many research. Both goldenseal and Echinacea is effective to cure herpes in animal and human as it possess potential antiviral property. On the other hand, clove bud can also perform the Health Benefits of Clove Bud Tea for herpes.
- Treat respiratory infection
In case of respiratory problems, we can not only rely on the Health Benefits of Onion Tea . On the other hand, goldenseal and Echinacea is also able to perform the same benefits. A study in 2003 concluded that goldenseal and Echinacea is a potential natural remedy for respiratory tract infection.
The health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea for respiratory are mainly credited to the content of berberine in the goldenseal. It is able to combat the effect of infection generated by intestinal bacteria such E.coli. Berberine is also able to perform its ability as expectorant which boost the recovery of coughing and asthma.
- Lower cholesterol
Different from the other health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea which are commonly related to the immune system and anti-infection properties, the powerful herbal combination is also beneficial for cholesterol. Goldenseal and Echinacea is able to significantly reduce the high bad cholesterol level. As published by “The Journal of Lipid Research”, this benefit is mainly contributed by the existence of alkaloid.
- Prevent cancer
The use of goldenseal and Echinacea is effective to reduce the risk of cancer as this herbal combination contain good amount of antioxidants. As we know, antioxidants are powerful to fight free radicals, the main risk factor of cancer. In addition, the anti-inflammatory property in goldenseal and Echinacea is able to reduce inflammation and prevent the growth of cancer cell.
Besides, the following are also the health benefits of goldenseal and Echinacea:
- Nourish mucous membrane
- Prevent yeast infection
- Relieve indigestion
- Blood purifier
- Treat athlete foot
- Relieve hay fever
- Relieve sinusitis
- Good for wound recovery
Recommendation in Using Goldenseal and Echinacea
Some health websites and herbal experts recommend consuming goldenseal and Echinacea about two or three times a day. We can simply buy the goldenseal and Echinacea capsules from the drugstore or herbal store.
Or if you are interested to use the essential oil for its effectiveness, you can simply buy the tincture as well. Maintain the consumption for one to two weeks in a month. Do the same for the other month. The long term usage is not recommended as this herbal supplement may perform the adverse effect for our body.
In addition, if you are in a long term medication of prescribed drug, make sure to check if the consumption of goldenseal and Echinacea supplement is safe for you.