Black Cohosh
This image of Black Cohosh is from Medical Botany, or, Descriptions of the More Important Plants Used in Medicine, by R. Eglesfeld Griffith, published in 1847. It is available in the John R. Martin Rare Book Room in the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences.
Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
Actaea racemosa, also known as Black Cohosh, Squaw Root, Rattleweed, Black Snakeroot, and Macrotys (Johnson and Fahey 2012), is a member of the Buttercup Family native to North America (Qiu et al. 2014), primarily east of the Mississippi (Johnson and Fahey 2012). A flowering perennial that can grow nine feet tall (Tesch 2003), Black Cohosh has been used historically by Native Americans to treat gynecological disorders, kidney disorders, malaria, and sore throat (Qiu et al. 2014), as well as snake bite and rheumatism, and as an insect repellent (Tesch 2003). Its most common use today is in the treatment of hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms; it may have general analgesic properties (Johnson and Fahey 2012).
Historical Use
R. Eglesfeld Griffith’s Medical Botany, published in 1847, presented a variety of uses for Black Cohosh. It was said to stimulate secretions from the skin, kidneys, and lungs, and to treat rheumatism and diseases of the lungs. Native Americans employed it against rheumatism and for increasing menstrual flow, as well as for snake bites, a practice which Griffith thought to be possibly useful because C. racemosa was said to stimulate sweating.
Latest Research
- Screening of Medicinal Herbs Identifies Cimicifuga foetida and Its Bioactive Component Caffeic Acid as SARS-CoV-2 Entry Inhibitors
by Ching-Hsuan Liu on August 28, 2025 at 10:00 amThe emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies, particularly entry inhibitors that could efficiently prevent viral infection. Medicinal herbs and herbal combination formulas have long been recognized for their effects in treating infectious diseases and their antiviral properties, thus providing abundant resources for the discovery of antiviral candidates. While many candidates have been suggested to have antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2…
- Estimating the extent of adulteration of the popular herbs black cohosh, echinacea, elder berry, ginkgo, and turmeric – its challenges and limitationsby Nilüfer Orhan on August 7, 2024 at 10:00 am
Covering: up to July 2023Botanical natural medicinal products and dietary supplements are utilized globally for their positive impacts on health and wellness. However, the effectiveness and safety of botanical products can be compromised by unintentional or intentional adulteration. The presence of adulterated botanical ingredients in the global market has been documented in the published literature but a key question, namely what the extent of adulteration is, remains to be answered. This…
- The influence of Black Cohosh on hippocampal and hypothalamic gene expression profiles in ovariectomized rats and its potential to treat menopausal decrease in smell discriminationby Elena Pavicic on July 24, 2024 at 10:00 am
CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that herbal treatment, such as iCR, has an esteeming impact on HC and HT genes that are changed through menopause. Further studies are needed to suggest black cohosh as a treatment option for decreased smell discrimination.
- Phytochemistry and ethnopharmacological studies of genus Cimicifuga: A systematic and comprehensive reviewby Shireen Fatima on December 5, 2023 at 11:00 am
CONCLUSION: This article discusses the medicinal and traditional histories of various Cimicifuga species. Because quality control and safety assessments of Cimicifuga species are currently lacking, only a limited portion of the plant may be used as medication. The majority of current research focuses on triterpene glycosides. Although there are a variety of additional molecules that may have novel biological functions, systematic investigations of these compounds are lacking. The Cimicifuga…
- Black cohosh extracts in women with menopausal symptoms: an updated pairwise meta-analysisby Ryoichi Sadahiro on May 16, 2023 at 10:00 am
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides updated evidence regarding the potentially beneficial effects of black cohosh extracts for relieving menopausal symptoms in menopausal women.
References
Johnson, T. L., and J. W. Fahey (2012). Black cohosh: Coming full circle? J Ethnopharmacol 141(3): 775–779.
Qiu, F., et al. (2014). “Pharmacognosy of black cohosh: The phytochemical and biological profile of a major botanical dietary supplement.” Prog Chem Org Nat Prod 99: 1–68.
Tesch, B. J. (2003). “Herbs commonly used by women: an evidence-based review.” Am J Obstet Gynecol 188(5 Suppl): S44–55.