Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Solidago virgaurea
Family: Asteraceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Bitter, Astringent
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Dry

On temperature, Gerard (1633), Culpeper (1653) and Salmon (1710) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient data; avoid

While breastfeeding

Limited data; generally regarded as safe in moderation during breastfeeding.

For children

Safe in low doses; avoid under 12 therapeutic

Cautions

Avoid in kidney disease requiring fluid restriction; Asteraceae allergy

General contraindications

Insufficient data; avoid

Stewardship

Goldenrod is abundant in meadows globally; dozens of species, several medicinal. Ethical wildcrafting is easy. Stewardship: wrongly blamed for ragweed's allergies — a parable of mistaken identity in herbal education.

In the traditional record

Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea / canadensis) — referenced by Dioscorides as a vulnerary and consolidating wound herb; Nicholas Culpeper called it "a balsamic vulnerary herb," and the American Eclectic physicians documented the native North American species as a primary urinary tract and kidney remedy.

Which herbs suit your body?

The same herb can calm one person and wire another. Our free assessment reads your pattern across temperature, moisture and tone, then matches herbs to it.

Take the free assessment Open Goldenrod in the Apothecary

Teaching children at home? Eden's Table builds a full herbalism curriculum around plants like this one.

Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.