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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.

This image 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. 

Latest Research

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.