Natural News

Wild Goldenseal Gets a Reprieve

Norway, Iowa—Cultivated goldenseal is poised to take the place of wildcrafted sources in one manufacturer's product offerings nearly three years ahead of schedule. Frontier Natural Co-op, which launched its "Save the Goldenseal" campaign in 1996 to save the popular North American herb from extinction, will now sell only goldenseal roots raised by its affiliated growers.

According to Steve Phillips, Frontier's manager for social causes, less than 5 percent of the 265,000 pounds of goldenseal sold each year in the United States is from cultivated sources. Based on a 1999 American Herbal Products Association survey indicating 140 U.S. acres are currently under cultivation, the company estimates 25 to 35 percent of the industry's goldenseal needs could be met with cultivated supplies within three years.

Commonly included in cold and flu remedies, goldenseal is considered threatened and was added to the Appendix II list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species List in 1997. The listing prevents uncontrolled exportation of the plant but does not restrict harvesting of the roots from the wild in the United States.

Next on Frontier's preservation list is black cohosh, a popular herb for menopausal symptoms that now outsells even goldenseal. Nothing is known about cultivating the native U.S. plant and "one '20/20' or 'Dateline' story about the herb could push sales further," says Tim Blakley, manager of Frontier's National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs. "If we can solve the goldenseal problem in three years for one large company, we can certainly do it for black cohosh."