My Goldenrod~
I love the color of these wild flowers called goldenrods and took a picture of some growing in my yard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In traditional medical practices, goldenrod is used to treat tuberculosis, diabetes, enlargement of the liver, gout, hemorrhoids, internal bleeding, asthma, and rheumatic illnesses (disorders of the muscles and joints). Topical preparations of goldenrod are used in folk medicine to treat inflammation of the mouth and throat as well as slow-healing wounds. Today, goldenrod is primarily used as an aquaretic agent, meaning that it promotes the loss of water from the body (as compared to a diuretic, which promotes the loss of both water and electrolytes such as salt). It is used frequently in Europe to treat urinary tract inflammation and to prevent or treat kidney stones. In fact, goldenrod is commonly found in teas to help "flush out" kidney stones and stop inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract.