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Title: DIVERSITY IN INDIGENOUS AND CULTIVATED GOLDENSEAL POPULATIONS IN SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA

Author
item MYLES, DEAN - MOUNTAIN STATE UNIVERSITY
item Foster, Joyce

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/2006
Publication Date: 5/4/2006
Citation: Myles, D., Foster, J.G. 2006. Diversity in Indigenous and Cultivated Goldenseal Populations in Southern West Virginia. In Morales, M.R. and Foster, J.G., editors. Appalachian Opportunities: Producing, Using, and Marketing Herbs and Non-Timber Forest Products. Proceedings of the Fourth Appalchian Medicinal Plants Symposium, September 16-17, 2005, Beckley, West Virginia. p. 56-62.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is an herbaceous perennial that is indigenous to Appalachia and the temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America. Valued for its medicinal properties, goldenseal is used as an antibiotic, an immune system enhancer, a nasal decongestant, a treatment for mouth sores, tuberculosis, and AIDS, and an inhibitor of tumor cell formation. Bioactivity of goldenseal is attributed to several alkaloids, berberine, hydrastine, and canadine. Our objectives have been to locate goldenseal populations in southern West Virginia and to investigate genetic and environmental contributions to the alkaloid composition of goldenseal rhizomes. Rhizomes collected from each site have been divided lengthwise with one part being used for chemical analysis and the other used for vegetative propagation. In rhizomes from most sites, berberine concentrations were higher than hydrastine concentrations. The reverse was true in rhizomes from sites with open canopies due to construction or a winter ice storm. Rhizomes from 4-year-old plants started from seed collected from several different sites and established in a single production bed had 51 to 137 mg of berberine and 14 to 45 mg of hydrastine per gram of dry tissue. By growing clones at different sites and under different conditions, we are determining how genetic, physiological, and environmental conditions impact alkaloid composition. Cultivation of elite germplasm and management of growing conditions could provide economic benefits for growers and relieve the harvesting pressure on wild populations.