| Coptis | |
|---|---|
| Coptis occidentalis flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Coptis Salisb. |
| Species | |
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See text |
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Coptis (Goldthread or Canker Root) is a genus of between 10–15 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Asia and North America.
Coptis teeta is used as a medicinal herb in the Himalayan regions of India where it is used as a bitter tonic for dyspepsia. It is also believed to help insomnia in Chinese herbology. The roots contain the bitter alkaloid berberine. The dried roots (goldthread) were commercially marketed in Canada until the 1950's or early 60's, to be steeped into a "tea" and swabbed onto areas affected by thrush infection.