Goldenseal: friend or foe?

Hydrastis canadensis

In periods of stress, a person could be written a prescription for the newest anti-anxiety medication (see prev post) or a person of botanical pursuasion such as myself may tend to look to Gaia (Mother Earth) for treatment.  My dear sister, who for the moment shall remain nameless, recommended to me a while back the tincture of Goldenseal root.

I looked at a small bottle of Goldenseal root extract in a store in Riverside and didn't buy any.  Or if I did buy it, I didn't take it and now it's lost.  I forgot why.  Recently while celebrating the Ph.D. defense of a good friend, who shall also remain nameless, we ran into a herbal store to see what kind of stress-mitigating substances they might be carrying.  With my first paycheck in the bank, I decided to splurge on the stuff I had been prescribed by my sister years ago.

Berberine 

Hydrastine

The "Supplement Facts" certify that 1 serving of this product (1 mL) contains a minimum of 5 mg Hydrastine and 10 mg Berberine, both isoquinoline alkaloids (can you spot the structural similarity?).  A single serving of this extract is said to have been prepared using 500 mg of plant root.

 The root is the active part of the plant, it is harvested in the autumn after the plant has died down and is dried for later use. It is said to be antiperiodic, antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, diuretic, laxative, stomachic, tonic. It is used mainly in the treatment of disorders affecting the ears, eyes, throat, nose, stomach, intestines and vagina.  I am intrigued and have taken 3 doses so far.

1) Friday before a Red Eye flight to the East coast - in green tea - 1 mL ( too strong )
2) Sunday/Monday after whirlwind weekend trip - in green tea with milk/honey 0.5 mL (still too strong)
3) Tuesday afternoon - 0.5 mL in decaf coffee with milk/honey (EXCELLENT)

So I'll keep you up to date on my personal experiment.  It is recommended not to exceed 10 days of this treatment.  Hoping to cut carbs from my diet and banish anxiety.  Hit the RESET button on my metabolism.
Also note on previous post RE: vitamins, I think they accelerated some of my cavities.  When I entered graduate school I was accused of not being a serious chemist because I didn't have bad teeth.  The things we go through in the Ph. D. process to prove we are serious...