Золотушник

The plant

Goldenrods are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Their stems range in height from 5 cm to over a meter. They are mostly short-day plants and bloom in late summer and early fall.

Solidago virgaurea, the European goldenrod, is widespread across most of Europe as well as North Africa and northern, central and southwestern Asia. Solidago canadensis is native to northeastern and north-central North America, and it flowers from July to October. Solidago odora is native to the United States and Mexico, and it flowers from July through October.

Essential oil composition

Thirty-two components, making up 97.7% of the oil, were identified in an essential oil of Solidago canadensis growing wild in Slovakia. The dominant compound is germacrene D (34.9%), followed by limonene (12.5%), α-pinene (11.6%), β-elemene (7.1%) and bornyl acetate (6.3%). Hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes make up 55.5% of this oil and hydrocarbon monoterpenes 32.9%.

Germacrene D belongs to the germacrenes, volatile hydrocarbons of the sesquiterpene and cycloalkene class. The composition of the oil depends on ecological and climatic conditions, the ontogenesis phase, the processing within the harvest and the method of isolation. In the roots of Solidago canadensis the dominant compound of the oil is thymol (20.25%), followed by α-copaene and carvacrol.

Other uses

Goldenrods are used to make yellow dyes and lake pigments. Young goldenrod leaves are edible. Native Americans traditionally use the seeds of some species for food. Herbal teas are sometimes made with goldenrod.

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