Black Cohosh

• Botanical Name(s): Cimicifuga Racemosa

• Popular Name(s): Black snakeroot, bugbane, squawroot, bugwort, rattleroot, rattleweed, rattlesnale's root, richweed, Black Cohosh,Cimicifuga, Sheng Ma, Chinese black Cohosh

• Parts Used: Root

• Habitat: Black Cohosh is a shrub-like plant native to the eastern deciduous forests of North America, ranging from southern Ontario to Georgia, north to Wisconsin and West to Arkansas.

Description: Black Cohosh is a stately perennial, 3-8 feet tall, topped by a long plume of white flowers (June-September). The leaves are large and pinnate compound; the leaflets are irregularly shaped with toothed edges.

Uses: Black Cohosh is also used to relieve menstrual cramps and the mood swings of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The primary traditional use of black cohosh has been as a relaxant, sedative and antispasmodic. Native Americans have traditionally used remedies made from the black cohosh for treating problems faced exclusively by women, since most of these were gynecological symptoms, and hence the black cohosh was aptly called "squawroot" by most Native Americans. The treatment of gynecological symptoms such as menstrual pain and other female problems which results in the excess progesterone production, and other menopausal symptoms, particularly the hot flashes, symptoms of debility, and depression are all treated using the herbal remedies made from the black cohosh.

In Europe, the herbal remedies made from the black cohosh are normally prescribed in the treatment of various conditions related to women. These problems can include the physical symptoms which come along with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), the symptoms associated with dysmenorrheal, and those coming along with menopause in the women. The affects of the black cohosh and its abilities include an action similar to the female hormone estrogen, the ability to bind to the estrogenic receptors within the body, and the full suppression of luteinizing hormones in the female body. Patients have also reported the occasional successful treatment of stomach pain or the treatment of intestinal discomfort through the use of the black cohosh. Black cohosh has not been successful in the treatment of mutagenicity, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity in all studies conducted to prove this potential, for example, a six month long study on the chronic toxicity in rats treated using black cohosh, at almost ninety times the human dose - failed to prove any effective remedial action. At this time, the need for further studies on the black cohosh as a potential cure for the mentioned illness will not be helpful and are unnecessary.

Some disorders such as inflammatory arthritis are treatable using the black cohosh and this have been confirmed again and again, the positive treatment and cure from such problems is true particularly when the disorder is associated with menopause and its related conditions. The black cohosh is also a proven and very effective remedy against all rheumatic problems, including such severe disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis - especially when it is used for long periods of time and on a regular basis.

The value of the black cohosh is also apparent in its sleep inducing and sedative action, indeed the treatment of a variety of conditions, including high blood pressure and tinnitus - persistent ringing in the ears - is possible using the black cohosh. The herbal remedies of the black cohosh and its peculiar properties are also effective against whooping cough and asthma and their associated physical symptoms