Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), also called orangeroot[2] or yellow puccoon,[2] is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to North America.

[11] Found in southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, the plant grows in mesic forests under deciduous trees.

[6] It can be found growing in association with other uncommon plants such as Jeffersonia diphylla (twinleaf) and Dicentra canadensis (squirrel corn).

[16] The process of mountain top removal mining has recently put the wild goldenseal population at major risk from loss of habitat.

[citation needed] There are several berberine-containing plants that can serve as useful alternatives, including Chinese coptis, yellowroot or Oregon grape root.

As of 1998, only 2.4% of goldenseal plant material originated from a cultivated source rather than wild harvest, although that number was projected to rise by 15–30% over the next several years.

[13] In response to conservation concerns, research has expanded regarding the propagation success of wild plant material for commercial yield.

Because goldenseal grows in patches of interconnected ramets reproducing asexually through clonal propagation, transplanting rhizome propagules into cultivated settings is possible.

[27][28][29] Seed propagation is also feasible and has advantages such as lower cost and greater genetic variability, but is considered difficult and unpredictable.

[30][31] Goldenseal may be commercially cultivated through agroforestry in natural settings mirroring the plant's ecological environment, or on farms with artificial shade canopies.

[31][30] Another propagation method of goldenseal utilizes a controlled environment such as a greenhouse growing lab where the plant's environmental needs such as light, water and temperature are artificially simulated.

[32] Controlled environments can greatly reduce the amount of time required to grow goldenseal to its desired harvestable state.

An experiment conducted by Douglas et al.[35] grew goldenseal over a six-year period in a warm, temperate environment in New Zealand.

[35] The overall growth of the allochthonous goldenseal was comparable to that found in the United States, and the hydrastine and berberine concentrations were within the American and European standards.

In 1798, Benjamin Smith Barton referred to the Cherokee use of goldenseal as a cancer treatment;[38] he called attention to its properties as a bitter tonic, and as a local wash for ophthalmia.