GOLDENROD USES: A ROUND-UP OF HERBAL RECIPES + RESOURCES
Among herbal wildflowers, goldenrod (Solidago spp.) has grown itself a special place in our hearts. Lighting up the late summer landscape with a warm glow, this native North American herb has an endearing repertoire of gifts: it’s a natural dye plant, an edible and medicinal herb, and a nectary flower for pollinators.
In homage, we’re placing inspirational information about this golden bloom directly in your hands! We’ve rounded up our favorite articles on using, preparing, and getting to know goldenrod.
Dyeing with Goldenrod
Goldenrod’s flowers yield a warm yellow dye that brings the color of soft autumn sunshine to cotton, wool, and silk fabrics. I recommend this tutorial on dyeing with goldenrod by Salt in My Coffee. You can also pick up wonderful information on making successful plant dyes with master dyer Rebecca Desnos here.
Goldenrod Recipes
Goldenrod has a wonderful resiny flavor that infuses beautifully into tea, honey, and baked goods. It can be imbibed or eaten for both medicine and pleasure. The blooms and leaves can also be used to craft medicinal oils and salves for topical use on the skin (see our article on making calendula oils and salves and swap in goldenrod flowers and leaves). These are a few of the most enticing goldenrod recipes I’ve encountered:
Goldenrod Tea: An Herb for Urinary Tract Infections. This is our personal recipe for clearing up pesky urinary tract infections. Best of all: it’s delicious and features marshmallow, corn silk, and uva-ursi.
Goldenrod Tincture: A Sinus Formula for Allergies, Colds, and Flu. Our go-to formula for sinus congestion related to allergies, colds, flu, and sinus infections.
Holding Onto Gold – A Tea for Darker Days by The Wondersmith, featuring the uplifting medicine of goldenrod, rose, and anise hyssop.
Goldenrod Cornbread, also by The Wondersmith. A gluten-free recipe seasonally flavored with goldenrod flowers, sunflower seeds, and pecans.
Goldenrod Infused Oil by Robin Rose Bennett. This medicinal oil is a traditional remedy for aches, strains, and sprains.
Goldenrod Ecology and Ethnobotany
Goldenrod Benefits: The Bee’s Knees for Allergies, Sinus Infections, and Urinary Tract Infections. Check it out! This is a special sneak peek from our Online Herbal Immersion, and it includes detailed information on identifying, gathering, preparing, and using goldenrod.
Goldenrod and Asters: My Life With Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is an excerpt from Kimmerer’s heart-stirring book, Braiding Sweetgrass. I recommend her book and writing to just about everyone! She is a plant ecologist, writer, professor, and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation.