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by Steven Foster
Black cohosh Cimicifuga racemosa is
equally at home in the perennial border as it is in its shaded
haunts in the eastern deciduous forest. Pre-colonial botanical
observers in America couldn't help but notice the handsome,
robust foliage, with the tall spikes of brilliant white flowers,
waving like a flag to attract attention. Native American groups
of eastern North America looked deeper than its obvious beauty,
believing that the thick, knobby, resin-scented roots, must
hold medicinal value. Black cohosh fits into several categories
including woodland wildflower, garden perennial, and medicinal
herb. Backed by an intriguing botanical, horticultural, and
medicinal history, a new generation of baby boomer women -
at the steps of menopause - are discovering that this traditional
Indian remedy for female conditions is emerging as a new treatment
for symptoms associated with menopause, backed by modern clinical
research. Black cohosh is a rising star on the herbal horizon.
Origins
Black cohosh is, a member of the buttercup
family found in rich woods of the eastern deciduous forest
from southern Ontario south to Georgia, west to Arkansas,
north to Wisconsin. This perennial woodland plant likes the
deep shade of moist hillsides, the home of other important
medicinal plans such as goldenseal and ginseng. Black cohosh
was first described by botanists in 1705. By 1732, it had
been introduced into English gardens as a hardy ornamental
perennial. To this day, it is more widely grown in European
gardens than in America. The root is the part of the plant
used in herbal traditions. Most of the root is wild-harvested,
while some is grown commercially in Europe.
The genus Cimicifuga includes at least
eighteen species. Collectively, they are commonly known as
bugbanes, primarily referring to the European species, C.
europaea and an Asian representative C. foetida, which have
strong, unpleasant smell, earning it a reputation as an insect-repelling
plant. The genus name Cimicifuga, itself, honors this observation.
It comes from the Latin cimex meaning bug (specifically the
bed bug Cimex lectularius) and fugare "to drive-away" in reference
to the insect-repelling attributes. These species are also
known by the names bugwort or bugane. They have been used
independently as insect repellents throughout their extensive
ranges from India to western Europe to eastern Siberia. The
leaves of black cohosh does not possess a strong odor.
Historical Development
American Indian groups of eastern North
America were using the root of black cohosh to treat female
conditions and for rheumatism, long before Europeans landed
on American shores. The Delaware, moved to the Indian Territories
of modern Oklahoma a century ago, used black cohosh in combination
with other herbs as a female tonic. The Cherokee are said
to have used the roots to treat rheumatism and various female
conditions. They also valued it as a tonic and diuretic. Early
medical authors note that use of the plant was learned from
native Americans.
The importance of black cohosh as a
medicinal plant was recognized in the first works on American
herbs, dating back to 1801. The root was an important folk
medicine among American Indian groups and early settlers for
menstrual irregularities and as an aid in childbirth. It was
widely prescribed by physicians in nineteenth century America,
where it had a great reputation as an anti-inflammatory for
arthritis and rheumatism, and played an important role for
normalizing suppressed menses, painful or difficult menses,
and to relieve pain after childbirth. It was also used for
nervous disorders. The root was an official drug of the United
States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1926.
It was a Cincinnati physician, Dr. John
King, ( 1813-1893), who championed the use of black cohosh.
He had used it in his own clinical practice from 1832 until
his death as an important remedy in both acute and chronic
cases of rheumatism and related inflammatory conditions, plus
various lung and nervous affections. King recognized it as
his primary treatment "in abnormal conditions of the principal
organs of reproduction in the female." If King had not been
such a strong proponent of the herb, it may have faded away
into obscurity.
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