How do we select and source alternatives for endangered herbs? Sebastian Pole offers guidance on how to choose substitute herbs to replace those with wild populations under threat.
What do you do if you want to use a herb as medicine but it is endangered, or information about how sustainably it was grown and harvested is missing? What can herbalists, herbal business owners or anyone using herbs do?
Use it anyway? Use something else, whilst still unsure of its origins? Replace it with a bone fide substitute — a herb of known, sustainable origin that shares the desired qualities?
This is an article to help navigate how to replace endangered, threatened or just simply unavailable herbs with substitutes.
Key considerations when substituting herbs
When seeking a replacement solution, consider herbs with:
- A similar action profile
- A related phytochemical profile
- Comparable taste, qualities and energetics
- Corresponding traditional uses
- Local origins
- More sustainable plant parts used
Considerations when substituting different plant parts of endangered herbs
It is always worth reflecting on the impact of harvesting different plant parts:
- Barks: Removal of barks can kill trees. Taking many years to regenerate, they should be either coppiced or removed in a rotation.
- Resins: Tapping the resin of plants can drain nutritive reserves and weaken defences.
- Roots: Digging roots can remove the whole plant, reducing the potential for future growth and damaging population densities.
- Flowers: Prevents the formation of seeds and furthering of genetic diversity.
- Seeds: Harvesting can prevent the spread of genetic diversity and reduce local populations.
- Fruits: Harvesting reduces the potential for spreading the seed.
Substitutes rarely produce identical effects; sometimes it may just be one aspect of a plant’s therapeutics that can be replicated by another; at other times two herbs may be needed to meet the same qualities as the original choice.
Goldenseal: An example of an endangered herb
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is a herb that finding a replacement for is advisable because
- its wild populations are threatened and it is CITES listed
- it has a long growing cycle making availability limited
- due to ‘a’ and ‘b’, it is very expensive
Goldenseal is a herb native to North America, that has a long history of use by indigenous peoples and remains a highly valued herb in Western herbalism today, owing to the following qualities:
Goldenseal actions
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antimicrobial
- Bitter
- Cholagogue and choleretic
- Emmenagogue
- Hepatic
- Stomachic
- Vulnerary
Body systems support
Goldenseal supports different body systems, including
Goldenseal energetics
Goldenseal phytochemistry
- Isoquinoline alkaloids (2.5–6%) — hydrastine (minimum 2%)
- Berberine (minimum 2.5%)
- Canadine
- Berberastine
- Chlorogenic acid
- Volatile oil
- Resin
- Lipids
- Sterol and flavonoids (1)
Goldenseal substitution options
Any bitter herb, such as andrographis or artichoke leaf, may be initially considered as a replacement, which would often suffice on its own due to the inherent cooling, drying and broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects of bitters in general. Bitter herbs containing berberine, such as barberry (Berberis vulgaris) or Oregon grape root (Berberis aquifolium), are all the better — though, of course, as roots (rootbarks, no less) these also face sustainability issues.
Other berberine-containing species, such as huang lian (Coptis chinensis) and daruharidra (Berberis aristata) also face sustainability threats in China and the Himalayas and are not recommended replacements. The efficacy of berberine in promoting weight loss and improving glucose metabolism has incited interest in the herb as a natural alternative to GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, despite producing a less significant effect, which is only leading to higher demand for berberine (2,3). And whilst berberine can be made synthetically, its a complex process rendering it costly and with safety risks (4).
To ensure the mucous membrane toning effects of goldenseal, combine the most appropriate bitter herb with an astringent herb, such as meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) for the digestive system, calendula (Calendula off.) for the skin, and yarrow (Achillea millefolium) for the reproductive system — or any companion herbs with an affinity for the affected system. If it’s a specific digestive antimicrobial then garlic (Allium sativum) would be especially appropriate, if more astringency is required, consider combining with triphala, or if the issue is dermatological, alteratives are particularly useful.
Seeking substitutes for endangered herbs
Some herbs are much easier to substitute than others. Just as goldenseal is relatively easy to replace, so are slippery elm (Ulmus spp.) and gentian (Gentiana lutea); many herbs share their demulcent, nutritive or bitter digestive effects. However, herbs such as boswellia (Boswellia serrata), cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) or rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) are more difficult to replicate as their actions and compounds are so specific.
Near equivalence can be achieved, but it will always be a compromise. Fortunately, this does not have to negatively impact clinical outcomes, as there are many approaches to creating a therapeutic strategy and personalised treatment that can initiate the healing response.
Replacement guidance
For a quick look guide through the Herbal Reality library of monographs, use the ‘herbal actions’ filter to view all of the herbs with a shared function — anti-inflammatory, analgesic, circulatory stimulant, or uterine tonic, for example.
Below are some suggested substitutions for replicating some aspects of our most challenged wild herbs. The following herbs are critically endangered.
| Endangered herb | Replacement |
|---|---|
| Devil’s claw | Turmeric, willow, meadowsweet |
| False unicorn | Vitex agnus castus, motherwort, lady’s mantle, raspberry leaf |
| Goldenseal | Barberry, garlic, triphala |
| Jatamansi | Valerian, cramp bark, brahmi, skullcap |
| Kutki | Andrographis, barberry |
| Myrrh (Guggul) | Calendula 90% extracted tincture |
| Pasqueflower | Valerian, wood betony, ashwagandha, lady’s mantle |
| Rhodiola | Ashwagandha, brahmi, skullcap, tulsi, lion’s mane |
Here are also some suggested replacements for other endangered herbs whose populations are currently under threat.
| Endangered herb | Replacement |
|---|---|
| Albizia | St John’s wort, lavender, melissa |
| Arjuna | Hawthorn, motherwort, yarrow |
| Arnica | Daisy, calendula, St, John’s wort |
| Asafoetida | Garlic, ransoms (wild garlic) |
| Atractylodes | Liquorice, angelica, astragalus, |
| Baical skullcap | Barberry, oregon grape root |
| Bibhitaki | Meadowsweet |
| Black cohosh | Vitex agnus-castus, motherwort, ashwagandha |
| Black root | Chelidonium, rhubarb root |
| Boswellia | Turmeric, ginger |
| Cat’s claw | Astragalus, echinacea, reishi |
| Chaga | Reishi, turkey tail |
| Codonopsis | Siberian ginseng, nettle, rehmannia, cinnamon, astragalus |
| Corydalis | St. John’s wort, feverfew, turmeric |
| Echinacea | Garlic, thyme, astragalus |
| Eyebright | Chamomile, chrysanthemum, sage, self-heal |
| Gentian | Andrographis, artichoke, wormwood, dandelion |
| Ginseng | Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, jiaogulan |
| Jamaican dogwood | St. John’s wort, valerian, cramp bark |
| Manjistha | Burdock root, yarrow, turmeric |
| Marshmallow | Liquorice, linseed, mullein, plantain |
| Mistletoe | Hawthorn, motherwort, yarrow, cramp bark |
| Red sage | Hawthorn, turmeric, yarrow |
| Saw palmetto | Nettle root |
| Schisandra | Milk thistle, rosemary |
| Senna | Cascara sagrada, rhubarb root, yellow dock |
| Siberian ginseng | Ashwaganda, nettle seed, liquorice, astragalus |
| Slippery elm | Marshmallow, plantain, linseed, mullein |
Sadly, many of the potential substitutes are also threatened, so it is of utmost importance to know the source, ensuring sustainable cultivation or wild-harvesting that carries a third party certification, establishing that good practice has taken place.
Other resources to explore include:
- United Plant Savers have developed some useful lists and tools for assessing Sustainable status of herbs that is worth a look.
- Access the IUCN Red List
- Access the CITES list
Questions to ask
Before choosing which herbs to use and purchase, important questions to ask are:
- Where is this species / herb / product grown?
- Is there any environmental certification — e.g. Organic?
- Is there any social certification — e.g. Fairtrade?
- Is the herb from the wild? If so, is it certified — e.g. by FairWild?
- Is there a mention of quality standards? If not, why not?!
Of course, some of these recommendations are just suggestions, and herbalists must use their own expertise and specific clinical needs in selecting replacements for endangered herbs. This is a work-in-progress so do please share any of your insights or recommendations further to these listed above.
References
- Fisher C. Materia Medica of Western Herbs. London: Aeon Books; 2018.
- Ilyas Z, Perna S, Al-Thawadi S, et al. The effect of Berberine on weight loss in order to prevent obesity: A systematic review. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020;127:110137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110137
- Araj-Khodaei M, Ayati MH, Azizi Zeinalhajlou A, et al. Berberine-induced glucagon-like peptide-1 and its mechanism for controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus: a comprehensive pathway review. Arch Physiol Biochem. 2024;130(6):678-685. https://doi.org/10.1080/13813455.2023.2258559
- Meher AK, Zarouri A, & Kumar M. Rethinking Synthetic Berberine in Nutraceuticals: Nitrosamine Risks, Regulatory Oversight, and Safer Alternatives. Preprints. 2025. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202508.1171.v1
