Black Cohosh - Non-Timber Forest Products

Describes research by the Center for Phytonutrient and Phytochemical
Studies (a consortium between the University of Missouri, Columbia, and
the Missouri Botanical Garden) that focuses on black cohosh cultivation.
The article covers two experiments: one to evaluate ideal cultivation
conditions to provide farmers with detailed recommendations, and the
other to evaluate plants grown in various spacings and under various shade
conditions to determine optimum growth and production of medicinal
compounds.
Keywords: Cultivation, research.
Thomasen, M.; Schmidt, M. 2003. Hepatotoxicity from Cimicifuga
racemosa? Recent Australian case report not sufficiently substantiated.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 9(3): 337-340.
Disputes an article by Whiting and others (2002) which links a case of
hepatoxicity to the use of black cohosh.
Keywords: Side effects.
Tyler, V. 1995. Was Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound an effective
remedy? Pharmacy in History. 37: 24-28.
Discusses the modern clinical research on individual constituents of an
herbal tonic that was popular in the early 1900s. Black cohosh was one of
the main ingredients in this formula that was marketed for various female
ailments.
Keywords: History, Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, research
reviews.
Vitetta, L.; Thomasen, M.; Sali, A. 2003. Black cohosh and other herbal
remedies associated with acute hepatitis. Medical Journal of Australia.
178(8): 411-412.
Responds to an article by Whiting and others (2002) on the association
between black cohosh and acute hepatitis. The author points out that adverse
effects may have been due to contaminants in the herbal product used, and
that, without further investigation into the constituents of the product, black
cohosh cannot be assumed to be the cause of the illness. Previous research
has shown black cohosh to be a safe and effective herbal medicine.
Keywords: Research reviews, toxicity.
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