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Black cohosh, cimicifuga racemosa, is believed to contain estrogen substances. Native Americans, as well as early settler midwives used the root of black cohosh to ease the pain of childbirth.
Black cohosh, a beautiful, stately perennial, growing up to 8 feet tall, has large and pinnately compound leaves, and long, plume-like white flowers that bloom from May through September. These flowers have a strong smell that insects don’t like, so it is an excellent insect repellent, and in fact, cimicifuga means “bug repellent,” in Latin.
This native North American plant grows on hillsides, open woods, and edges of dense woods from Maine and Ontario south to Georgia and Tennessee, and Missouri. It was the Algonquian Indians who named it cohosh, which translates to “rough,” from their language. And the root, which is black and rough in feel, is large, knotty , and often scarred from the remains of old growth.
The American Indians made a tea from the root for the relief of menstrual cramps, and used it to ease the pains of childbirth, thus, black cohosh was also called squawroot, by them. They also made a poultice from the root and used is as a snakebite remedy, and would also refer to the plant as black snakeroot.
Black cohosh is antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, expectorant, sedative, and emmenagogue. In the 19th century, it was said to be very helpful for treating rheumatism. Since the rhizome, tested in Laboratories was found to have an anti-inflammatory effect, it uses for rheumatism and neuralgia are said to be well founded.
In the Ozarks, where black cohosh is a common wild plant, it has long been used as a nervine, for various nervous disorders. The plant not only has a sedative effect, but it also acts as a stimulant for the heart.
Spasmodic problems such as whooping cough, consumption, chorea, and chronic bronchitis are all greatly benefited by black cohosh, for the root is a potent remedy. It has also been taken to equalize circulation, and is considered a good remedy for high blood pressure. The rootstock is collected in the fall of the year, after the leaves of the plant have died down.
But be aware that there is a precautionary warning about using the black cohosh, for large dosages are poisonous, causing symptoms such as nausea and dizziness, and in pregnant women, a large dosage can cause a miscarriage.
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