What is the scientific name of the plant known as goldenseal?

The scientific name of the plant known as goldenseal is Hydrastis canadensis.

Goldenseal is a perennial herb in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, and is native to the forests of eastern North America. It grows from a thick, yellow, knotted rhizome—the underground stem that stores nutrients and produces new shoots. The vivid yellow rootstock explains both its common name and its historical use as a dye.

The plant contains several isoquinoline alkaloids, notably berberine and hydrastine. These chemicals helped make goldenseal a staple of traditional herbal medicine, although modern evidence does not establish it as an effective treatment for general health conditions. Wild harvesting has also raised conservation concerns because the plant grows slowly and may take four to five years to reach reproductive maturity.

Goldenseal is often confused with echinacea because the two herbs are sold together in immune-health supplements. They are unrelated plants: echinacea belongs to the daisy family, while goldenseal belongs to the buttercup family. Chinese goldthread, Coptis chinensis, is another berberine-containing relative but is not goldenseal.