Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)
Written and Photographed by Juliet Blankespoor
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Yellowroot’s elegant, subtle maroon flowers are just emerging in March in the mountains of North Carolina. This native shrub in the buttercup family prefers the dappled sunlight and silty soils of the streamside and floodplain, but will tolerate drier soil in cultivation. Yellowroot grows abundantly in central and southern Appalachia near forest streams that are wide enough to allow a moderate amount of sunlight. Interestingly, it has disjunct (geographically separated) populations up into Maine, south into Florida, and west into Texas. Many medicinal herbs growing far from their core populations have been carried by Native people and planted; perhaps this is the origin of these yellowroot outliers. Yellowroot reproduces by seeds and spreads clonally through its rhizomes, which are the primary medicinal part used.
Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Ranunculaceae) is the only member of its genus, and one of the few woody members of the buttercup family. Its scientific name is quite descriptive, with the genus meaning yellowroot (xantho= yellow, rhiza=root), and the species name referring to the simple, unbranched stem. If you say the species name with certain flair, and generous gesticulations, it takes on the feel of an Italian expletive.
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Now, for the juicy medicinal information you have patiently been waiting for while we laboriously set the botanical and habitat stage. I have been gathering and using yellowroot for almost twenty years; it is one of the top twenty herbs used in my practice. I use it more often in tincture form, as its flavor is quite intense for most non-herbalists’ palettes. The tea is yellow and bitter, but quite serviceable and very appropriate for topical use as a strong wash or compress. Yellowroot has the following properties: bitter, cholagogue, hepatic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial (anti-bacterial, anti-protozoan, anti-fungal, anti-viral).
The Cherokee used it as a topical remedy for hemorrhoids and sore eyes, and chewed it for sore throats and mouth. They put it in a formula with wild ginger (Asarum canadense, Aristolochiaceae), alder (Alnus serrulata, Betulaceae), wild cherry (Prunus serotina, Roasaceae), and rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens, Orchidaceae), and used the combination both as a blood tonic and appetite stimulant. It continues to be an important dye plant, rendering a yellow dye used to color fabric and basket materials. The Catawba used the roots in a decoction for colds and ulcerated stomachs, as well as a tonic for the liver and a remedy for jaundice.
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The European settlers quickly caught on to the usefulness of yellowroot, and used it in similar ways to the Native peoples who taught them. Tommie Bass, who was an Alabama herbalist, wildcrafter, herb broker, and one of my personal herbal heroes, shared his sentiments on yellowroot in A Reference Guide to Medicinal Plants, Herbal Medicine Past and Present (Crellin and Philpott). Bass is quoted as saying “It is one of the finest remedies we have. It’s been used ever since time for sore mouth, sore eyes, and stomach trouble. Another name for it is scurvy root. More people is taking it now for ulcers than for any other thing we know of. It’s absolutely real stuff. We’ve got so many people smiling after taking that, that ain’t no joke.”
It’s hard to follow this enthusiastic accolade, but I will attempt to add to yellowroot’s praises. I use yellowroot in a similar vein as how I use oregon grape root (Berberis spp., Berberidaceae) or goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis, Ranunculaceae). I wouldn’t say they are interchangeable, just as I wouldn’t confuse any long-haired, gray-bearded, barefoot man on the street for my husband. Yellowroot, like the other aforementioned herbs, contains the alkaloid berberine. It is helpful to recognize shared biochemistry, and even more helpful to combine this information with history of traditional use. Attributing all of a plant’s medicinal qualities to the presence of one constituent is quite reductionistic, when one considers that each plant can possess hundreds, if not thousands, of medicinal compounds.
Yellowroot, as compared to goldenseal or oregon grape root, is much more astringent. This helps to explain its historical use for hemorrhoids, sore eyes, and peptic ulcers. Its alkaloid content differs from goldenseal: yellowroot has considerably more berberine than goldenseal and unlike goldenseal, it contains no hydrastine.
Berberine gives these plants their characteristic yellow color and bitter flavor and has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, protozoans, viruses, and helminths (roundworm, pinworm, and other larger intestinal parasites). Berberine has gained recent attention in the media and medical community as a promising adjunct therapy to antibiotics in the treatment of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus). Berberine is anti-inflammatory (partly through inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production) and has demonstrated hypotensive activity (lowering blood pressure).
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I have been recommending yellowroot as a strong aqueous douche and internal treatment, in tincture form, for bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vaginal yeast infection, with good success. When I had my tincture business, I formulated a general immunostimulant and anti-microbial combination called EchImmunity, which contained Echinacea purpurea, Spilanthes acmella, Usnea spp., Xanthorhiza simplicissima, and Commiphora myrrha.
Yellowroot is also one of the primary herbs I recommend for infectious intestinal distress, with symptoms presenting acutely and rapidly. I have also used it as one of the primary herbs in treatment of a young man with multiple food sensitivities and peptic ulcers, with good results. It is interesting to note that bitters can sometimes aggravate peptic ulcers, in part by increasing hydrochloric acid. Yellowroot’s traditional and contemporary use in the treatment of peptic ulcers can perhaps be explained through its astringent and anti-inflammatory effect on eroded mucosa, and its antibacterial properties. Berberine has a deleterious affect on Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria associated with peptic ulcers.
I use yellowroot internally and topically as a treatment for bacterial skin infections, including Staphylococcus aureus. It is sometimes taken with antibiotic treatment, and afterwards to help prevent recurring infection. When taken without an antibiotic (I respect the client’s wish here, while explaining the inherent risk of virulent infection), I usually add other immunostimulatory and anti-microbial herbs to their internal formula, such as Echinacea purpurea, Usnea spp., Ligusticum porteri, and Spilanthes acmella. The internal dosage of the formula is usually 5-6 mls (droppers-full) six times a day. It is important to note here that every case is unique, and supervised medical attention is advised in such infections. I have worked with healthy young adults, whose infections weren’t spreading or systemic, and were not immunocompromised or hospitalized for serious health conditions (nosocomial or community-acquired MRSA is very common). I have seen it kick such infections a little more than half the time, but often the appropriate and effective treatment involves the concurrent use of antibiotics. The working knowledge of herbal and essential oil treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections is paramount as many people are dying needlessly because of ignorance in the field of combined pharmaceutical and botanical strategies.
Yellowroot’s lore and use is still alive in Appalachia; sometimes in the flea market I see someone selling a bundle of thin long yellow roots tied together with string. Many people remember gathering it as a child with their grandmas, and some still carry on the tradition, or at the very least, chew on a root when they are hiking or camping. Even so, it is not readily available in commerce, and not especially known outside its range. To my knowledge it is not being cultivated on a commercial scale as the demand is low and currently supplied by wildcrafting. Should it ever become wildly popular, it would be easy to decimate our local populations. Luckily, it is easy to grow in a wide variety of habitats, should the demand for yellowroot increase.
I give thanks for the beauty and healing yellowroot has provided for countless generations.
Meet The Green Mastermind Behind Blog Castanea:
JULIET BLANKESPOOR is the founder, primary instructor, and Creative Director of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, an online school serving thousands of students from around the globe. She's a professional plant-human matchmaker and bonafide plant geek, with a degree in botany and over 30 years of experience teaching and writing about herbalism, medicine making, and organic herb cultivation. Juliet’s lifelong captivation with medicinal weeds and herb gardening has birthed many botanical enterprises over the decades, including an herbal nursery and a farm-to-apothecary herbal products business.
These days, she channels her botanical obsession through her writing and photography in her online programs, on her personal blog Castanea, and in her new book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies. Juliet and her family reside in a home overrun with houseplants and books in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Morgan says:
Similarly, asking re. where to purchase organic, ‘properly processed’ powdered goldenseal, please. Needed for the same purpose, for my Mom.
Anxiously waiting to hear.
Many thanks!
Melissa Quercia says:
There are many places to purchase goldenseal root powder online. Mountain Rose has some available here.
Morgan says:
Hello,
Where can we get organic, ‘properly processed’ powdered yellowroot, please? It was recommended for use for glaucoma and my Mom desperately needs it, but I can’t find it online Amazon or anywhere.
Thanks!
Melissa Quercia says:
Hi, Morgan. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any online sources to purchase yellowroot powder. You could try checking in with local farmers in your area to see if they are growing it. It looks like there are a couple of folks selling yellowroot tincture online if you search for Xanthorhiza simplicissima tincture. Best wishes to you and your mom!
Sarah says:
Hello, what herbs are strictly for improving skin conditions and eyes?
Thank you so much.
Melissa Quercia says:
Hello! There are various types of skin and eye conditions, and no single herb can be used for all of them. It’s best to consult a clinical herbalist who can customize their dietary and herbal recommendations based on the individual’s specific condition, constitution, lifestyle, and health history.
Carnell says:
I have been using Yellowroot and providing to others in Alabama For 30 years. The reason the liquid you’re using takes so long for results is probably because it has citric acid mixed in it to extend the shelf life. Once Yellowroot is brewed into a liquid it should be kept refrigerated until used up. There should be nothing mixed with it.
I provide several pounds to a local herbal retail store. I pull it from the wild when they request it so it’s always fresh.
When drinking the normal dose is 2 to 4 ounces daily for 2 or 3 weeks then take a break for few days while monitoring results of your symptoms. When you notice positive results start drinking every 2 or 3 days or two or three times a week, Or whichever gives you the greatest results.
I also brew it into a liquid, by the quart, but I have my own method to insure the strength and potency, just extract nothing added.
Christine Borosh says:
Thanks for sharing your experience!
A tincture (alcohol extract) will have a long shelf life, but if yellowroot is prepared as a decoction, this will only last for up to three days when refrigerated.
Tammie Brown says:
Is yellowdock root and yellow root the same plant or different?
Melissa Quercia says:
Good question, Tammie. This is an instance where common names can be confusing! Yellowroot ((Xanthorhiza simplicissima) and Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) are two distinctly different plants.
Eunice Hall says:
Hi there! Just saw your response on Chestnut Herbs about Yellow Root Tea. I would love to purchase some from you. Please give me a call at: 770 866-6158
Janice Burgess says:
Hello I live in Crossville tn.. Would like to ask would you sell me a quart of your Liquid; I have abdominal cancer and have used yellow root on many occasions ; but as this date I have used up my supply and just need to get some as soon as possible;Thank you
Melissa Quercia says:
Unfortunately, we do not make or sell any tinctures at this time. However, it looks like there are a couple of folks selling yellowroot tincture online if you search for Xanthorhiza simplicissima tincture. Best wishes to you!
Patty Jones says:
I would love to find some yellowroot and clear instructions on how to use it for diabetes.
Kathy says:
Can you reuse the yellow root after making the tea ? Or do I thro it away after using. Thanks
Christine Borosh says:
You can make a second decoction using the same plant material again, but it will not be as strongly medicinal as the original batch. If the resulting tea is yellow, then it will still have some medicinal value. Once the plant material is spent, you can compost it 🙂
Have fun getting to know this amazing plant!
Tommy says:
I reuse it a couple times and throw it away
Ruben Manor says:
some internet sites say yellow root is good for treatment of high blood pressure and some sites disagree. Can buy yellow root at a store here in Montgomery Al. Product is sold in small bundled sticks and as a liquid in quart jars. I purchased one of each. Not knowing the strength of the ready made liquid at what dose should i use and for how long would it take to see any results? Asking your best quess as you do not know me or my medical condition. What is the general dose people report using. Also the best way to brew (if that is the right way) the dries sticks and how to tell if these are really yellow root plants in the first place. The market sells all kinds of food stuff from all over. The quart jar is “Wild Bill’s ” out of Marietta Ga. They recommend 4ozs per day. Not seeing any results after 3 days. Thanks for your help
Juliet Blankespoor says:
The best course of action would be to see a clinical herbalist who would tailor their dietary and herbal recommendations to your constitution, lifestyle and health. Unfortunately we are not providing consultations at this time, but there are a number of great herbalists you can reach out to. The American Herbalist Guild maintains a directory of professional herbalists, which you can access here. You can also check the Links page on our website to find graduates of our programs who do clinical work. Herbal recommendations and dosage vary greatly depending on the condition, person, and strength of the medicine. As stated in the post above, you can make an effective tea (see our blog post about Herbal Infusions and Decoctions for more detail), but it is quite bitter in flavor. It is very hard to determine correct botanical identification of dried roots without any other botanical features, so you definitely want to make sure that you are buying dried plant material from a reputable source. Good luck with your health journey!
Ruben Manor says:
Thanks for your help!
Alice says:
Great article and fantastic pictures. Thank you.
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Thanks, glad you found it beneficial!
Lindsay Wilson says:
OOoooo ~ I just always come back to this post when I need to brush up on Yellowroot! It really is the best post out there on-line. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experiences!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
LIndsay,
Thanks love, that is a high compliment coming from you 🙂
Juliet
Hector says:
My name is hector where I can buy yellow root in Atlanta ga
Sarah Sorci says:
Despite its usefulness, yellow root isn’t commonly cultivated or sold in commerce. To find it locally, I would suggest getting in touch with an Atlanta herbalist to see if they know of a source. Lorna Mauney-Brodek is a Chestnut School instructor located in Atlanta, and you can find contact info at the bottom of her Herbalista webpage.
Kelly says:
Hector, I recently found Yellowroot at dekalb farmers market 🙂
Lindsay Wilson says:
Love this plant and love your write-up (well, I love all your writings). Thank you for sharing and expanding my thoughts on this herbal ally. I love how she always hugs streams and rivers, hanging out on sandy banks. I recently blended this with reishi for someone with a compromised immune system just before her cycle, rash on skin, sore in mouth, constipation issues…we’ll see how she responds to it. I’m feeling that these two herbs will dance together well and offer her the support she needs…
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Thanks for the sweet words, Lindsay! How did the reishi and yellowroot combo work?
I still have yet to figure out the comment management on my blog — only now seeing this message!
Niki says:
How much tincture do I use for a douche for BV? Do I dilute it at all? Thank you for this posting. . .So informative and a great read. . Yellowroot has been helping me with so many health issues lately. What an incredible plant, as the all are in their own ways 😀 I live locally and am constantly in awe of the medicinal wonders these mountains contain.
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Niki,
I would use a few droppers full of the tincture per application. Sorry for the delay, we are only now seeing people’s comments!
Sanaura Johnson says:
What’s tincture… How do I make it
Christine Borosh says:
A tincture is an alcohol extract of an herb. Here is an article to help get you started making your own: https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/guide-tinctures-extracts
pk says:
I have this Yellowroot on my property and will consider sending to anyone who needs it for the cost of time and shipping.
Holly says:
I would love some if you still have any.
christy says:
I would love to buy them for planting
Tonya says:
Where do you live? How much would it cost for the time and to ship to GA?
Adwoa says:
It is sold at thefarmers market in Smyrna, ga
Juliet Blankespoor says:
How interesting! It’s definitely a rare find to see medicinal herbs at a farmer’s market.
Muhsinah says:
iT IS SOLD IN MANY OF THE LOCAL FOOD DEPOT AND SIMILAR STORES IN ATLANTA. jUST PICKED UP A MALL BUNDLE LAST WEEK.
Cordell Zachery says:
I would love some. My email is zacheryc@futonschools.org
Stephanie says:
I would like to purchase some of this yellow root from you. please contact me via email.
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Hi Stephanie — if you live locally I’d suggest checking out the French Broad Food Co-opt. They have a lot of local tinctures. Good luck!
Tonya says:
I echo your statement! I am in need of some Yellow Root for my tooth. Please contact me if you can help me procure some. Thank you!
Juliet Blankespoor says:
We no longer sell medicine, you might try your local health food store. Good luck!
John Smith says:
I wildcraft yellow root in NE Alabama .If you are still needing some I would be glad to send you some
Cassandra says:
Hi John Smith,
I am currently living in Arizona. I moved from Atlanta, GA and I can’t find any yellow root here nor can I find anyone that is familiar with yellow root.
Sarah Sorci says:
I hope John is able to help you! It makes sense that folks in Arizona aren’t familiar with this plant. According to this North American Plant Atlas, yellow root doesn’t grow in the state.
Dorothy Carnes says:
I tried swissing yellow root for mouthsores and after one time it seems to be working. If you have more info on this plant please email me