Solidago virgaurea

Solidago virgaurea, the European goldenrod or woundwort, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across most of Europe as well as North Africa and northern, central, and southwestern Asia. It is grown as a garden flower with many different cultivars. It flowers profusely in late summer.
Solidago virgaurea is a perennial herb up to 100 cm tall, with a branching underground caudex and a woody rhizome. It produces arrays of numerous small yellow flower heads at the top of the stem.
;Subspecies and varieties

Solidago virgaurea subsp. alpestris Gremli
Solidago virgaurea subsp. armena Greuter
Solidago virgaurea subsp. asiatica Kitam. ex Hara
Solidago virgaurea var. calcicola Fernald
Solidago virgaurea subsp. caucasica Greuter
Solidago virgaurea subsp. dahurica Kitag.
Solidago virgaurea subsp. gigantea Kitam.
Solidago virgaurea var. insularis Hara
Solidago virgaurea subsp. jailarum Tzvelev
Solidago virgaurea subsp. lapponica Tzvelev
Solidago virgaurea subsp. macrorrhiza Nyman
Solidago virgaurea subsp. minuta Arcang.
Solidago virgaurea subsp. stenophylla Tzvelev
Solidago virgaurea subsp. talyschensis Sennikov
Solidago virgaurea subsp. taurica Tzvelev
Solidago virgaurea subsp. turfosa Greuter
Solidago virgaurea subsp. virgaurea
Solidago virgaurea var. ''virgaurea''

Medicinal uses

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Solidago virgaurea was used in Europe to heal wounds. Its astringent, diuretic, antiseptic and other properties are well known. In various assessments by the European Medicines Agency with respect to Solidago virgaurea, non-clinical data shows diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and spasmolytic, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory activity. However, as no single ingredient is responsible for these effects, the whole herbal preparation of Solidago inflorescences must be considered as the active ingredient. Further, the relevance of those effects found in vitro could not be confirmed by clinical studies.