Black Cohosh - Non-Timber Forest Products

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa): An
Annotated Bibliography
Mary L. Predny, Patricia De Angelis, and
James L. Chamberlain
Abstract
Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Syn.: Cimicifuga racemosa), a member of the buttercup
family (Ranunculaceae), is an erect perennial found in rich cove forests of Eastern North
America from Georgia to Ontario. Native Americans used black cohosh for a variety of
ailments including rheumatism, malaria, sore throats, and complications associated with
childbirth. Europeans have used this important medicinal plant to treat menopausal symptoms
for over 40 years. Recent clinical evidence supports the efficacy and safety of black cohosh
for these symptoms. Recent decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on hormone
replacement therapy have increased the demand for black cohosh. In a 1-year period ending in
1998, retail sales increased more than 500 percent. In 2001, when retail sales in other segments
of the herbal products industry were down, black cohosh sales increased about 2 percent to
an estimated value of $6.2 million. Nearly 100 percent of black cohosh raw materials is wild
harvested. Though it has received an “apparently secure” ecological ranking on the global
and national scales, conservation groups list the species as “at risk” in the United States and
endangered in Illinois and Massachusetts. Research is underway to determine sustainable
harvest levels and to establish suitable cultivation methods.
Keywords: Conservation, medicinal plants, menopause, nontimber forest products,
phytoestrogens, poaching.
Nomenclature
The scientific name for black cohosh has changed several times throughout
botanical history. According to Foster (1999), the first known classification
was made in 1705 by Plukenet, as Christopheriana facie, Herba spicata,
ex Provencia Floridiana. In pre-Linnaean times (before 1750) the plant
was most commonly known as Actaea, though some botanists still used the
genus Christopheriana. Linnaeus first classified black cohosh as Actaea,
but later separated out the genus Cimicifuga based on differences in fruit
characteristics, where Actaea had fleshy berries and Cimicifuga had dry
follicles. The name Cimicifuga was used until Rafinesque noted that black
cohosh did not fit clearly into Linnaeus’ classification and renamed the
plant Macrotrys. Eton adopted this classification but dropped the second
“r”, making it Macrotys. In the eclectic 1 pharmacopeias of the late 1800s
1
Eclectic physicians were doctors who treated patients with herbal medicines between the late
1800s and early 1900s.
1