Black Cohosh

(Actaea racemosa)
(aka Cimicifuga racemosa)

Other Names:

Black Snakeroot, Bugbane, Bugwort, Cimicifuga, Fairy Candles, Rattlerroot, Rattleweed, Richweed, Squaw Root

Range:

Family:

Ranunculaceae - Buttercup or Crowfoot Family

Growth Type:

Smooth herbaceous perennial plant

Height:

Up to 2 feet tall

Leaves:

Tripinnately compound leaves thrice divided with a coarsely toothed (serrated) margin. Terminal leaflet 3 lobed, middle lobe largest.

Stem/Trunk:

Sturdy erect single or branched stem

Root:

Rhizome

Flower Season:

Late spring to early summer

Flower Appearance:

White flowers in borne very long spikes. On a tall stem, 3'-8' tall, forming racemes up to 2' long. They have no petals or sepals, and consist of tight clusters of 55-110 white, 5-10 mm long stamens surrounding a white stigma. They have a distinctly sweet, fetid smell that attracts flies, gnats, and beetles.

Seed/Fruit:

The fruit is a dry follicle 5-10 mm long, with one carpel, containing several seeds.

Miscellaneous characteristics:

N/A

Habitat:

Rich woodlands

Parts Used:

Roots

Culinary Uses:

None Known

Energetics

Taste: Bitter
Thermal: Warming
Humidity: Drying

Traditional Medicinal Uses:

Root tincture has been used as an anti-inflammatory to treat rheumatism. It has also been showed to be highly effective when treating hot flashes associated with menopause. There is also evidence that it eases PMS symptoms as well. Historically some Native American tribes used Black Cohosh to treat snake bite. I can find no credible mention of antitoxin or anti venom actions.

Use to treat amenorrhea, bronchitis, chorea, dysmenorrhea, fibroids, intercostal myalgia, menopausal symptoms, muscular arthritis, neuralgia, pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, tinnitus aurium, uterine spasm, whooping cough.

Usage Citations

The fact that studies concerning all indications listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said uses are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopia prior to the advent of allopathic medicine.

Amenorrhea (Absence of Menstruation): Rahal, Anu, Amit Kumar, Sandip Chakraborty, Ruchi Tiwari, Shyma K. Latheef, and Kuldeep Dhama. "Cimicifuga: a revisiting indigenous herb with multi-utility benefits for safeguarding human health—a review." International Journal of Agronomy Plant Production 4 (2013): 1590-1601.

Atrophic Vaginitis (Vaginal Atrophy): Rahal, Anu, Amit Kumar, Sandip Chakraborty, Ruchi Tiwari, Shyma K. Latheef, and Kuldeep Dhama. "Cimicifuga: a revisiting indigenous herb with multi-utility benefits for safeguarding human health—a review." International Journal of Agronomy Plant Production 4 (2013): 1590-1601.

Bronchitis: Rahal, Anu, Amit Kumar, Sandip Chakraborty, Ruchi Tiwari, Shyma K. Latheef, and Kuldeep Dhama. "Cimicifuga: a revisiting indigenous herb with multi-utility benefits for safeguarding human health—a review." International Journal of Agronomy Plant Production 4 (2013): 1590-1601.

Climacteric Syndrome: Raus K, Brucker C, Gorkow C, Wuttke W. First-time proof of endometrial safety of the special black cohosh extract (Actaea or Cimicifuga racemosa extract) CR BNO 1055. Menopause. 2006 Jul-Aug;13(4):678-91. doi: 10.1097/01.gme.0000196813.34247.e2. PMID: 16837890.

Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual Cramps): Lawrence, A. Sheeba, and T. Ezhilarasi. "A Clinical study to assess the effectiveness of Actaea racemosa 30 C and 200 C in cases of primary dysmenorrhea in young females."

Intercostal Myalgia (Chest Muscle Strain): Denham, Alison, Julia Green, and Sue Hawkey. "What’s in the bottle? Prescriptions formulated by medical herbalists in a clinical trial of treatment during the menopause." Journal of Herbal Medicine 1, no. 3-4 (2011): 95-101.

Lumbar Radiculopathy (Sciatica): Chen, Li-Ru, and Kuo-Hu Chen. "Utilization of isoflavones in soybeans for women with menopausal syndrome: an overview." International journal of molecular sciences 22, no. 6 (2021): 3212.

Menopause (Change of Life): Wuttke, Wolfgang, Karel Rauš, and Christoph Gorkow. "Efficacy and tolerability of the Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) ethanolic extract BNO 1055 on climacteric complaints: A double-blind, placebo-and conjugated estrogens-controlled study." Maturitas 55 (2006): S83-S91.

Neuralgia (Nerve Pain): Lawrence, A. Sheeba, and T. Ezhilarasi. "A Clinical study to assess the effectiveness of Actaea racemosa 30 C and 200 C in cases of primary dysmenorrhea in young females."

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID): Brice-Ytsma, Hananja, and Nathalie Chidley. Herbal Medicine in Treating Gynaecological Conditions Volume 2: Specific Conditions and Management Through the Practical Usage of Herbs. Aeon Books, 2024.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) (Muscular Rheumatism): Mahady, Gail B., Brian Doyle, Tracie Locklear, Scott J. Cotler, Grace Guzman-Hartman, and Rajabather Krishnaraj. "Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) for the mitigation of menopausal symptoms: recent developments in clinical safety and efficacy." Women’s Health 2, no. 5 (2006): 783-793.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): Cordaro, Marika, Ramona D’Amico, Roberta Fusco, Tiziana Genovese, Alessio Filippo Peritore, Enrico Gugliandolo, Rosalia Crupi et al. "Actaea racemosa L. Rhizome Protect against MPTP-Induced Neurotoxicity in Mice by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation." Antioxidants 12, no. 1 (2022): 40.

Psoriatic Arthritis (PA): Patel, Dinesh Kumar. "Biological importance of bioactive phytochemical ‘Cimifugin’as potential active pharmaceutical ingredients against human disorders: A natural phytochemical for new therapeutic alternatives." Pharmacological Research-Modern Chinese Medicine 7 (2023): 100232.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Rai, Vishal. "Phytochemical Screening and Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh) in management of menopausal symptoms & other medicinal applications." Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine 30 (2025): 33-48.

Uterine Leiomyomas (Fibroids): Tester, Jodie, and Tessa Finney-Brown. "Cimicifuga racemosa extract compared to tibolone in peri/post menopausal women with uterine fibroids." Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine 27, no. 1 (2015): 34.

Medicinal Actions:
Analgesic, Antiasthmatic, Antihypothyroid, Anti-Inflammatory, Antirheumatic, Antitussive, Emmenagogue, Estrogenic, Nervine, Oxytocic, Sedative, Tonic: Cardiac

Action Citations

The fact that studies concerning all of the traditional medicinal actions listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said actions are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopia prior to the advent of allopathic medicine.

Analgesic (relieves pain): Cordaro, Marika, Ramona D’Amico, Roberta Fusco, Tiziana Genovese, Alessio Filippo Peritore, Enrico Gugliandolo, Rosalia Crupi et al. "Actaea racemosa L. Rhizome Protect against MPTP-Induced Neurotoxicity in Mice by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation." Antioxidants 12, no. 1 (2022): 40.

Antiasthmatic (common): Kim, Chang Deok, Won‐Kyung Lee, Min‐Ho Lee, Ho Song Cho, Yong Koo Lee, and Seok‐Seon Roh. "Inhibition of mast cell‐dependent allergy reaction by extract of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)." Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology 26, no. 2 (2004): 299-308.

Anti-Inflammatory (common): Diggins, Nicole, JoeAnn McCoy, Guichuan Hou, Chris Okunji, Subrina Jesmin, and Chishimba N. Mowa. "Actaea racemosa (black cohosh) hydroethanolic extract alters LPS‐induced expression of pro‐and anti‐inflammatory factors in the cervix of ovariectomized mice." (2011): lb330-lb330.

Antirheumatic (common): Salari S, Amiri MS, Ramezani M, Moghadam AT, Elyasi S, Sahebkar A, Emami SA. Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, Traditional and Modern Uses of Actaea racemosa L. (Black cohosh): A Review. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1308:403-449. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64872-5_24. PMID: 33861455.

Antispasmodic (common): Lawrence, A. Sheeba, and T. Ezhilarasi. "A Clinical study to assess the effectiveness of Actaea racemosa 30 C and 200 C in cases of primary dysmenorrhea in young females."

Antitussive (common): Rahal, Anu, Amit Kumar, Sandip Chakraborty, Ruchi Tiwari, Shyma K. Latheef, and Kuldeep Dhama. "Cimicifuga: a revisiting indigenous herb with multi-utility benefits for safeguarding human health—a review." International Journal of Agronomy Plant Production 4 (2013): 1590-1601.

Bitter (common): Files, Back To Plant. "Common Name: Black Cohosh| Scientific Name: Cimicifuga Racemose."/

Emmenagogue (common): Ross, Stephanie Maxine. "Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, syn. Cimicifuga racemosa): the queen of the female pharmacopeia." Holistic nursing practice 21, no. 3 (2007): 162-163.

Estrogenic (common): Wuttke, Wolfgang, Karel Rauš, and Christoph Gorkow. "Efficacy and tolerability of the Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) ethanolic extract BNO 1055 on climacteric complaints: A double-blind, placebo-and conjugated estrogens-controlled study." Maturitas 55 (2006): S83-S91.

Nervine (common): Staeb, Whitney, and Ohlone Herbal Apprenticeship. "Endometriosis: A Holistic Approach." (2016).

Oxytocic (common): "Physicians Desk Reference PDR For Herbal Medicines Fourth Edition", Thompson Healthcare Inc, (2007)

Sedative (common): Strommer, Barbara, Sophia Khom, Iris Kastenberger, Serhat Sezai Cicek, Hermann Stuppner, Christoph Schwarzer, and Steffen Hering. "A cycloartane glycoside derived from Actaea racemosa L. modulates GABAA receptors and induces pronounced sedation in mice." The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics 351, no. 2 (2014): 234-242.

Tonic: Uterine (common): "Physicians Desk Reference PDR For Herbal Medicines Fourth Edition", Thompson Healthcare Inc, (2007)