Black Cohosh
Common names: Black Snake Root, Bugwort, Bugbane, Fairy Candles, Macrotnys, Squaw Root, Rattleweed or Rattleroot, Rich Weed.
Description: This leafy perennial can reach heights of nine feet. It has a smooth stem and large, toothed, compound leaves with small multiple white flowers and knotty black roots. The taste is distinctly bitter and acrid. In the fall, after the fruits have ripened, the herb is harvested and the rhizome and root are saved and used.
Medicinal properties: Alterative, antirheumatic, astringent, emmenogogue, expectorant, nervine, sedative, tonic.
Historical Uses: Arthritis, asthma, birth pains, bronchitis, cholera, convulsions, coughs, delirium tremors, diuretic, dropsy, epilepsy, high blood pressure, hysteria, female hormone, inflammation, liver/kidney problems, lung difficulties, menstrual cramps, menopause, nerves, rheumatism, sedative, snake bites, “St. Vitus” dance, whooping cough. Also, this tall, stately plant works as an anti-spasmodic. For this reason, it is good for spasms associated with the whooping cough.
In 1876 “Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound” was introduced for menstrual cramps. The main herb she used in her formula was black cohosh. “Cohosh” is an Indian word for “rough,” and “black” refers to the herb’s dark roots.
The Indians would boil the gnarled roots and drink the decoction for fatigue, sore throat, arthritis and even rattlesnake bites. But black cohosh was still primarily used by Indian women for female complaints and childbirth.
This herb, found in eastern North America, does not contain the female estrogen hormone, but it does contain at least one chemical compound that has a similar structure. It is believed that the body easily converts this to the form of estrogen required to maintain normal body function. Use of this herb reduces the risk of breast and prostate cancer. In addition, it restores feelings of improvement in women suffering from postpartum depression. It has also been clinically found to promote and restore healthy menstrual activity, soothe irritation of the uterus, cervix and vagina, relieve the pain and distress of pregnancy, and contribute to quick, easy and uncomplicated deliveries.
In addition, black cohosh is used to drive away bugs and other insects. It can also be used as an antidote for the venom of serpents and for insect or snake bites.
Preliminary animal studies also show possible antibiotic and blood-sugar reducing action.
Safety: This is one herb which must be used cautiously and in small amounts, because it can have some negative effects. An excessive dose may cause dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, visual dimness, headache, tremors, joint pains, and depressed heart rate. For some, these effects may develop at relatively low doses. The first symptoms that you are taking too much black cohosh are likely to be a headache, light-headedness and dizziness. If these symptoms occur, reduce the dose or discontinue using the herb.
It is important to realize that hormones must be BALANCED for good health. Since black cohosh contains compounds with estrogen-like effects, large doses over an extended period could cause problems. Pregnant women should not take estrogenic herbs like black cohosh (until it is time to give birth, if needed). Also, those with congestive heart failure or pepticulcers should not use them.
Take one capsule (or even 1/2 capsule for some people) one or two times daily.
Sources
A Handbook of Native American Herbs by Alma R. Hutchens (Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala, 1992).
Harvard Health Letter, February 1991.
Herbal Tonic Therapies by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D. (New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1993).
