Sweet Goldenrod

Feverish cold or early flu with chilliness and poor sweating, where a warming aromatic diaphoretic is wanted

Griping, flatulent abdominal discomfort with a sense of cold in the gut, calling for a carminative aromatic tea

Overview. Solidago odora is a slender, anise-scented goldenrod native to open woods and dry sandy soils of eastern North America, easily distinguished from other goldenrods by the sweet, licorice-like fragrance of its crushed leaves. The dried leaf was steeped as Blue Mountain Tea by early American settlers and adopted by the Eclectic physicians of the nineteenth century as a gentle warming diaphoretic and carminative. The essential oil, distilled from the leaf, was used in small drop doses for similar purposes and remains of some historical and aromatic interest.

Clinical Notes. This is a mild, pleasant tasting goldenrod, well suited to home use as a warming tea at the first sign of a chilly cold, taken hot to encourage a light sweat and ease early catarrhal symptoms. It combines well with elderflower, yarrow or peppermint for feverish colds, or with chamomile and fennel for flatulent, colicky digestion in both children and adults.

Therapy. This agent has been used as a domestic remedy for backaches and diseases of the kidneys for centuries in Germany. Radamacher spoke highly of its properties. Homeopathic physicians prescribe it where there is pain in the kidneys, from any cause, extending forward toward the abdomen.