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It’s that time of year! Goldenrod is about to start blooming, and we will see yellow fields! Goldenrod is Nebraska’s state flower!
Many people blame their allergies on Goldenrod. But it does not actually have airborne pollen. You’d have to shake the pollen into your nose or sniff it really hard! It might actually be the ragweed that blooms at the same time you are allergic to.
Goldenrod is a fabulous remedy for fall allergies. I use it often with great success. Combined with Nettles, it is an even better remedy for allergies.
It is particularly great for those who have leaky, drippy allergies, with clear, thin mucus or even itchy, weepy eyes. It is also helpful for excessive sneezing from allergies.
This has a specific ability to help those with cat allergies. Now, I tend to get “stuffy” around cats, but I will still use Golden Rod to help with other mucus-thinning herbs, such as Elecampane, which works well for me.
It is also known as a Mast Cell Stabilizer, which can help stabilize those with histamine intolerance or MCAS. Goldenrod glycerite is best used here.
There are many other uses of Goldenrod.
- Support any condition of excessive discharge, such as diarrhea and excessive menstrual cycles.
- Provides Kidney support for those with weak kidneys, who might have blood in their urine, chronic nephritis, protein in their urine, or kidney stones. It can help ease urinary incontinence and/or dribbling.
- Goldenrod is an aquaretic, increasing renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate without stimulating potassium loss.
- Support those with high blood pressure suffering from fluid retention causing high blood pressure.
HARVESTING GOLDENROD:
- Pick when it is just starting to flower when it is about all yellow.
- Pick the top ½ of the plant.
- Hang upside down in a warm or non-humid spot until the leaves and flowers are very crackly. I then take all the leaves off the stem and put them in a glass jar.
- You can choose to blend it up nicely for tea here. But it does last longer if kept in its whole form as much as possible.
Goldenrod Tea Recipe:
- 1 Tbsp of the well-crushed herb.
- Steep in Hot water for 10-20 minutes.
- Over-brewed Goldenrod can be quite bitter.
Goldenrod Tincture Recipe:
- Grab the top ½ of the plant and remove the tops and leaves from the stem.
- Place all that into a blender and blend until blended well.
- Weigh the blended herb and place it in a glass jar.
- Multiply that amount by 2 to get the amount of high-proof alcohol you should add to your herb. Make sure it is 80-100 proof alcohol.
- Steep for 6-8 weeks, shaking daily.
- Strain the herb from the alcohol and store it in a cool place.
- 2-4ml or dropperfuls 3x/day is the typical dosing but start with 1 dropperful 3x/day to see if that helps for your needs.
One of my other favorite uses for this plant is for sore, achy muscles. It makes a great topical in oil and can be used similarly to Arnica as a mild blood circulatory stimulant and lymphatic mover, but it’s free in your backyard or in a meadow near you!
Goldenrod Oil Recipe:
- Chop the recently dried leaf and flower of Goldenrod and add to a glass bowl or jar. I use a blender for this.
- Barely cover it with Olive oil.
- Add water to the bottom of a yogurt maker or Instapot with yogurt maker setting on it.
- Place the bowl/jar in the water and turn the yogurt setting on for 24 hours.
- Stir occasionally to make sure your herb is well covered.
- After 24 hours, strain your oil from the jar (careful to wipe the water off the jar/bowl)
- Keep your oil in a cool place for up to 1 year.
- Apply as needed.
Learn More About Goldenrod and support for Allergies in my free Allergy Course Here
