Black Cohosh - Non-Timber Forest Products

Foster, S. 1999. Black cohosh: Cimicifuga racemosa. A literature review.
HerbalGram. 45: 35-50.
Includes thorough information on all aspects of black cohosh—etymology,
botanical description, botanical history, new taxonomic twists, North
American species of Cimicifuga, ethnobotany, medicinal history,
development in eclectic medicine, chemical investigations, European
experience (1743–1980), studies of the 1980s and 1990s, safety and toxicity,
and cultivation. Includes extensive references, tables, and pictures.
Keywords: Botanical description, chemical constituents, cultivation,
ecology, history, Native American uses, research reviews, toxicity.
Foster, S. 2000. Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). Steven Foster Group
Herb Monographs. http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/
bkcohosh.html. [Date accessed: September 13, 2004].
Presents information on historical and modern uses of black cohosh,
including references and a discussion of clinical trials. Black cohosh is a
member of the buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family, and is found in deciduous
forests from Ontario to Georgia, and west to Wisconsin and Arkansas.
Leaves are divided into threes, with another three-lobed terminal leaflet.
In May, plants send up a showy spike of white flowers three to eight feet in
height. Individual flowers do not have petals but numerous stamens. The
name Cimicifuga comes from “cimex,” the Latin word for bug—specifically
the bed bug Cimex lectularius—and the Latin “fugare,” meaning to drive
away. The American species Cimicifuga racemosa does not possess the
strong odor of the European species. Native Americans used black cohosh to
treat a variety of female ailments and rheumatism. In the nineteenth century,
early American physicians used black cohosh as an anti-inflammatory for
rheumatism and arthritis, to relieve pain during childbirth, and to regulate
abnormal menstruation. Medicinal properties of the roots are attributed to
a combination of constituents. Several clinical studies on the effectiveness
and safety of black cohosh are summarized. Black cohosh is listed in
the German Commission E Monograph for use in treating premenstrual
ailments, dysmenorrhea, and climacteric menopausal symptoms. As the
negative side effects of hormone replacement therapy become more widely
known, the use of black cohosh is expected to increase.
Keywords: Botanical description, chemical constituents, flowers, history,
medicinal uses, nomenclature, odor, Ranunculaceae family, research
reviews.
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