Folkways
Story and photograph by
Maya Brown Zniewski
GOLDENROD
G
lorious Goldenrod! You
know those beautiful golden
flowers that grow by the side
of the road, in ditches and along the
fence line? You do! You’ve seen
them! That is Goldenrod. If you’ve
heard disparaging things about love-
ly Goldenrod, that she’s a waste
weed or she causes seasonal allergies,
you have heard lies. She is a beauti-
ful and useful flower. I have never
met anyone who is allergic to
Goldenrod. It is a member of the
aster family of plants, which includes
daisies. Goldenrod has very small,
very sticky pollen and as we all know
it’s the pollen that generally causes
allergies. Goldenrod pollen sticks
very, very well to bees and to itself
but does not float or fly in the air as
other kinds of pollen do, so you are
highly unlikely to be allergic to it.
There is another plant that grows
right next to her, without those
beautiful golden blooms, called
Ragweed. Many people are allergic
to that.
Goldenrod’s Latin name is solida-
go. There are hundreds of kinds of
solidago, including common names
like winter and Canadian.
Goldenrod grows all over North
America and in Europe. She is
grown in yards all over the world. As
if to counteract her reputation as a
seasonal allergen, Goldenrod is used
to fight seasonal allergies: as a tea, a
tincture, in a popsicle, as a salad
green or as a vinegar. In earlier
columns I’ve talked about how to
make tinctures. Here is a quick
recap: cut the top third of the above-
ground plant, stuff the chopped
Goldenrod in a glass jar with about
one ounce of the plant to five ounces
of hard liquor (vodka or whiskey is
great), put a lid on the jar. Let set for
six weeks. Strain the tincture, reserv-
ing the liquid and composting the
flower parts. A serving is a teaspoon
(30-40 drops) two or three times a
day.
You can make a Goldenrod tea
by harvesting the upper third of
Goldenrod, stalks, leaves and flow-
ers, chopping them up a little and
pouring water, just off the boil, over
a small handful of the tops of
Goldenrod. Wait a few minutes,
strain and enjoy! For a therapeutic
effect drink three cups a day. For
acute situations of ragweed or other
pollen-induced respiratory reactions,
drink five cups a day.
You can make Goldenrod tea as a
sweet tea, hot or cold. Try making
Goldenrod tea popsicles: Add a little
orange or cherry juice or make fresh
lemonade or limeade, for flavor, just
as long as you are enjoying
Goldenrod. I make Goldenrod
honey by infusing the flowers in
honey and smearing on toast or on a
chicken to roast.
Goldenrod is noted especially for
healing respiratory issues like infec-
tions, coughs and colds. (Have you
ever noticed how many plants are
noted for healing lung issues like
coughs and colds? I have a theory as
to why, but that is for another day,
another discussion.) Goldenrod is
good for healing skin issues like small
cuts, bug bites and rashes. So make
that tea, let it cool, place a clean
cloth in the tea, squeeze it out and
place on the bug bite or rashy area
until the cloth becomes warm. Soak
the cloth in the cooled tea again.
You do not need to make fresh tea
every time.
Goldenrod in tea or tincture form
also helps with intestinal problems
like ulcers, or urinary tract problems.
Goldenrod increases urinary flow,
helping your body rid itself of these
issues. Goldenrod is also very helpful
with liver, vascular, and circulatory
health.
In addition to Goldenrod as a tea
or tincture, she makes a wonderful
salad ingredient, too. Just pluck the
fresh, young leaves and add to your
favorite salad.
Have you considered herbal vine-
gars lately? You can add clean, cut
up Goldenrod roots, flowers, leaves
and stalks to apple cider vinegar. Do
not use metal when infusing the
vinegar; metal reacts with the acid
and makes vinegar go all wonky.
After a couple of weeks strain out the
plant parts and use the vinegar in a
salad dressing or as you would all
your yummy vinegars. She makes a
great addition to your garden as well
and is a favorite of honeybees. The
next time you are headed out walk-
ing and spy those happy bright flow-
ers of Goldenrod, do not disparage
her, but love her instead.
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2016
9