Actaea racemosa (Black cohosh)

LATIN NAME: Actaea racemosa (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa, Macrotys racemosa)

 COMMON NAME(s): Black cohosh, black snakeroot, cohosh bugbane, rattleweed, bugwort.

 PLANT PARTS USED: the roots.

 FAMILY NAME: Ranunculaceae

 VITALIST ACTIONS/ENERGETICS (how the herb shifts the tissue state—dry, moist, cold, warm, tense, or relaxed. The herbs energetic qualities—warming, cooling, moistening, drying): Cool/dry, bitter tonic, slightly astringent, pungent.

TISSUES AFFECTED: Nerves, smooth and skeletal muscles, mucous membranes, lungs and bronchial tract, brain, uterus and reproductive organs, serous membranes

CLINICAL ACTIONS (the herbs biochemical mechanism. How the herb affects specific tissues, receptors, or organs): Internal: antispasmodic, nervine relaxant, expectorant, antisepressant, vital stimulant, alterative.

USES:

·      Skeletal muscle: tension, tightness, stiffness, pain

·      Uterine pain with tension and rigidity

·      Serous membrane irritation (pleurisy-type pain)

·      Menstrual irregularities: dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, menopause transition (especially with irritability, hot flashes, or tension)

·      Spasmodic or nervous conditions: hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, nervous agitation, whooping cough, asthma

·      Musculoskeletal: rheumatism, back pain, uterine cramping, neck and shoulder tension

·      Puerperal and parturient states—facilitates coordinated uterine contractions

·      Ovarian or uterine neuralgia

·      Cardiac irritability from nervous excitement

·      Emotional irritability with muscular tension

FORMS USED & DOSE:

·      Tincture: fresh root [1:2, 70-95% alcohol]; dry roots [1:5, 70-80% alcohol]; take 15-60 drops up to four times daily. (1:5, 60% alcohol): 10–30 drops, up to 3x/day

·      Decoction: 1 tsp root per cup water; simmer gently 15–20 min; take 2–3x/day

·      Capsules: consume 2-4 freeze-dried “00” capsules, up to three times daily. Consume 2 tablets twice daily of the standardized product remifemin.

COMBINATIONS:

·      With Aconitum napellus and Bryonia alba in rheumatism and serous inflammations (Ellingwood)

·      With Aletris farinosa, Viburnum opulus, or Caulophyllum thalictroides for uterine weakness, prolapse, or dysmenorrhea

·      With Gelsemium or Passiflora for nervous irritation

·      With Asclepias tuberosa in pleuritic pain

·      With Polygonum punctatum in suppressed menses from cold

CONSTITUENTS: Macrotin or Cimicifugin—a resinous powder of a dark-brown or yellowish color, a bitter, acrid taste, and slight odor. A resinoid volatile oil, tannic acid, gallic acid, gum, starch, fat, sugar.

NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES: high amounts of chromium, iron, and selenium. Low to average amounts of aluminum, calcium, cobalt, fiber, fat, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, silicon, sodium, and vitamin A and C. Christa Sinadinos / The Essential Guide to Western Botanical Medicine

SAFETY and ADVERSE EFFECTS:

·      Generally well tolerated in moderate doses

·      Large doses may cause nausea, dizziness, or headache (I single handily experienced a slight frontal headache when I dosed the tincture too much—it was slight but noticeable)

·      Avoid during early pregnancy unless under supervision — may stimulate uterine activity

·      May potentiate hypotensive or sedative medications

·      Use cautiously in hypotensive or frail patients

 CLINICAL SUMMARY:

Black Cohosh is a cooling relaxant to the nervous and reproductive systems, easing spasms, irritability, and rigidity. It restores tone to overstimulated smooth and skeletal muscles, relaxes constricted uterine tissues, and soothes serous membrane irritation. Its nervine and antispasmodic actions calm both emotional and physical tension, especially when accompanied by muscular tightness, agitation, or rheumatic pain. Historically central to rheumatism, bronchial tension, and nervous irritability, Black Cohosh acts where tension coexists with heat, congestion, or oversensitivity.

PATIENT PICTURE:

The ideal Black Cohosh patient presents with muscular tension (neck, back, shoulders), uterine or ovarian cramping, or pain that is sharp, pulling, or irregular. They may experience nervous irritability, heightened sensitivity, or emotional agitation that accompanies physical tension. Pain often worsens with movement or pressure. Signs of serous membrane irritation (pleuritic-type pain), rheumatic muscle soreness, or bronchial tightness with a dry, irregular cough. This patient tends to run warm, restlessness, and an overall picture of tight, contracted, irritable tissues needing cooling relaxation.

 REFERENCES:

1.     Cook, W. H. (1869). The Physiomedical Dispensatory: A Treatise on Therapeutics, Materia Medica, and Pharmacy in Accordance with the Principles of Physiological Medication. Cincinnati: Wm. H. Cook.

(Source used for historical actions, serous membrane indications, rheumatic uses, uterine combinations.)

2.     Lyle, T. J. (1897/1932). Physio-Medical Therapeutics, Materia Medica and Pharmacy. London: The National Association of Medical Herbalists of Great Britain.

(Source used for uterine actions, combinations, and rheumatic indications.)

3.     Ellingwood, F. (1919). American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy. Chicago: Ellingwood’s Therapeutist.

(Source used for combinations with Aconite and Bryonia, ovarian neuralgia, rheumatic pain.)

4.     Bergner, P. (2001). Medical Herbalism: Materia Medica and Pharmacy.

(Source for modern Eclectic review and context on Cimicifuga racemosa.)

5.     Bergner, P. (2019). Materia Medica Quick Reference Guide.

(Primary source for vital actions, tissues affected, taste, temperature, humidity, and clinical actions.)

6.     Cook, W. H., et al. (1898–1910). Selections from The Physio-Medical Journal and Related Eclectic Writings.

(Used to contextualize Cimicifuga racemosa in women’s health, rheumatism, and serous tissue conditions.)

7.     Christa Sinadinos. The Essential Guide to Western Botanical Medicine. (Used for contraindications, preparation and dose.)