Biological Name: Cimicifuga foetida, Cimicifuga racemosa, Cimicifuga dahurica, Cimicifuga heracleifolia

Family: Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Other Names: Chinese black cohosh, Black snakeroot, Sheng ma, bugbane, Cimicifuga, squawroot, Black Cohosh, bugwort, richweed, rattleroot, rattlesnale’s root, rattleweed

Elements Applied: The root is commonly applied in herbal medicine

Active Components: Black cohosh is rich in medically active components, like isoflavones (for example, formononetin), and triterpene glycosides (for instance, cimicifugoside, and acetin). Additionally it contains sugars, starches, fatty acids, resins, tannins, and aromatic acids. Formononetin is responsible for triggering estrogen receptors in the body, thus promoting additional estrogen functionality. When menopausal period comes, a woman is exposed to decreased estrogen excretion, in addition to elevated luteinising hormone levels. This happens due to weak signals the pituitary gland receives from the ovaries. Hot flushes almost every woman has to overcome in this period are due to hormonal imbalance. According to scientific researches, black cohosh is potent of regulating LH production during menopausal period.

History: In the early times of America the herb had a great variety of applications, from female reproductive problems to snake stings. In the XIX century the plant was applied in America for curing a range of problems, like insomnia, arthritis, menstrual pains, and fevers.

Used for: The herb is applied to boost perspiration, treat fevers, cure bacterial and fungal infections.

The list of conditions, potentially curable by the herb, includes: uterine contractions, menstrual pains, and menopause.

Conventionally, the main application of black cohosh consisted in its use as a remedy for spasms, nervous and muscle tension. Although it is not yet sufficiently proven that the herb is potent in dysmenorrhea, there is some evidence that it’s highly effective in cases of neuralgia and rheumatism.

In conventional Chinese medicine the herb is believed to relieve spasms, and control qi circulation. It is additionally applied for uterus or anus prolapse, skin conditions in their primary stages, like measles, diarrhea, hives, gingivitis, and headaches. According to Chinese herbalists, it is beneficial for drawing other herbs activity to the upper part of the body. Cimicifuga found in North America is somewhat like its Chinese counterpart, but not completely identical.

Additional Info: Black Cohosh is a plant growing in bushes in the eastern areas of North America, starting from Georgia to southern Ontario, then west to Arkansas and north to Wisconsin. The smell it produces is characteristically applied for drawing the insects away.

Black Cohosh belongs to perennials, and may reach 5 feet in height on average. It’s characterized by white-colored flowers which appear in early summer and blossom until autumn. The leaves are complex, with several leaflets.

The rhizome is the herb’s element applied in medical purposes. Gathered wild, the rhizome is commonly black-colored. Cohosh, its name, comes from an Indian word, which translates as “rough”, due to the rhizome structure.

Preparation and Intake: The herb is applied in a variety of forms, ranging from tinctures (the common dose is 2-4 ml a day), dried herb extract in powders (the common dose is 250 mg thrice a day), and dry rhizome or root in solid form (the dose varies from 300 to 2000 mg a day).

Specially produced extracts commonly have fixed concentration of deoxyacteine (1 mg in a pill). The common quantity is a 40 mg pill two times a day. Black cohosh is recommended to take only for a fixed period (not more than half a year). Afterwards one should make a certain interval.

Safety: Black cohosh is characterized by relatively strong estrogenic activity, due to which fact it’s not recommended for pregnant of breastfeeding women. An overdose of black cohosh may lead to giddiness, headaches, nausea, and stomachaches. Females who use estrogen in course of their therapy, should ask their health-care provider prior to taking the herb.

Black cohosh may lead to signs of poisoning, especially giddiness and sickness, if applied in excessive quantities. It may also lead to miscarriage.

Black cohosh is contraindicated for people who suffer from hard respiration and measles in the secondary stage. It is not recommended for people who have problems with vital energy in the lower part of the corpus.