What Is The Goldenseal Doing?

Last Tuesday, I started feeling a sort throat coming on, which means a full-on cold is coming right behind it. I gargled with goldenseal at my earliest convenience and twice a day since, because in the past, it's completely rid me of any signs of sickness. The weird thing is that this "thing" I have hasn't progressed to a cold yet, but I still have a bit of a sore throat all the time. I wish I knew what was going on here. Tomorrow is the first real day of school...teaching math and all that. I'm feeling good, not nervous because I've met most of my kids already and I have a plan for at least day 1 and everything feels like it normally does when I start a year. I've been trying not to get sick, although it wouldn't be the High Holidays without tissues in my talis bag.