Goldenrod (Dried)

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
 
Goldenrod is a perennial plant that is well-known for its healing properties. It reproduces through its roots, bulbs, stems and by its seed. Goldenrod does not actually cause seasonal allergies as many tend to believe. Usually the culprit is ragweed.
 
Goldenrod contains many valuable plant compounds including saponins, which have antifungal effects, and flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions.
 
Native Americans made ample use of several species of Goldenrod. Some tribes made an infusion of flowers and leaves for fevers and chest pains, and others used the leaves as a poultice to relieve the pain of rheumatism and neuralgia. The Meskwaki (a Minnesota Fox tribe) made a lotion from the blossoms for bee stings and other painful swellings, while the Cherokee prepared a tea from one species to reduce fever and from another to treat bladder and kidney ailments. In the forests of Pennsylvania and New Jersey where goldenrod is plentiful, Delaware tribes prepared a tea from early goldenrod to combat diarrhea and chewed the fresh green leaves for fevers. Houma tribes used a decoction of gray goldenrod roots to treat jaundice.