* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
C. thalictroides (L) Michx. = yellow-flowered blue cohosh. C. giganteum (Farwell) Loconte & W.H. Blackwell = purple-flowered blue cohosh.
These species have only recently been recognized as separate, and much of what is known and written about them is applicable to both. The name "blue cohosh" in the following discussion refers to both species.
English Common Names
Blue cohosh, papoose root (papoose-root), squaw root (squaw-root), blue ginseng, yellow ginseng, blue berry, blueberry root, beechdrops.
Blue cohosh should not to be confused with black cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa. The latter is apparently a more widely utilized and possibly safer medicinal plant. The names papoose root and squaw root are believed to be derived from use by indigenous people to ease pain associated with childbirth. "Squaw root" has also been applied to Cimicifuga racemosa. Blue cohosh is the only name commonly encountered.
This erect perennial produces bluish-purple clumps of young shoots in April. The flowers, 1-2 cm across, begin to open in April and May while the leaves are still folded. Authors have differed in their interpretation of floral parts of blue cohosh. What some have called sepals, others have called petals, and some have thought that the nectaries originated from either petals or anthers. The flowers have six prominent sepals (5-6 mm long), six nectaries probably derived from the stamens, and six stamens. The purple-flowered blue cohosh flowers up to a week or two earlier than the yellow-flowered species in many, but not all localities. In addition to its distinctive flower color, the purple-flowered plant has styles 1-1.5 mm long whereas those of the yellow-flowered species are 0.1-0.7 mm long. In other respects the two species are very similar. The several to many flowers are borne in branching clusters. By the time the forest canopy has fully developed in late spring Blue Cohosh the stems have reached their maximum height of between 30 and 75 cm. Each stem bears two compound leaves, one large, centrally located, and three times divided into leaflets, and a smaller leaf just below the inflorescence. Although definitely green, the mature leaves retain a bluish-purple cast and to some extent a whitish bloom, and are smooth, with leaflets that are 2- or 3-lobed (not serrated as in some similar species). These characters help to distinguish blue cohosh leaves from those of baneberries (Actaea spp.), meadow-rues (Thalictrum spp.) and black cohosh. By late summer the leaves deteriorate, leaving stems with what appear to be dark blue berries 1-1.5 cm in diameter. These are naked seeds with a fleshy blue covering. The horizontal rootstock is matted and knotty, yellow-brown externally and whitish to yellow internally, with many stem scars and numerous cylindrical branching roots The rootstock tastes bittersweet and acrid. and has a slightly pungent fragrant odor.
Classification and Geography
Prior to 1964 it was believed that only one kind of blue cohosh existed in North America, but that year well known Canadian plant taxonomist William Dore wrote a paper entitled "Two kinds of blue cohosh." In his article Dore related the earlier observations of Harold Minshall, an expert on flowering phenology, that some plants of blue cohosh flower almost 2 weeks earlier in the spring than others. Dore demonstrated that the early flowering plants had purple flowers with long styles, while the later blooming plants had yellowish-green or creamy flowers with short styles. He also noted differences in geographic distribution within southern Ontario. Based on these differences Dore distinguished the two kinds using the available varietal names: var. thalictroides for the short-styled plant; and var. giganteum Farwell for the long-styled plant. However Dore was of the opinion that they should be treated as different species. Later experts agreed and the var. giganteum was elevated to the rank of species in 1981 with additional supporting data published in 1985. The two species can be distinguished even late in the year because styles persist on aborted flowers.
Purple-flowered blue cohosh occurs in the northern Appalachian and eastern Great Lakes region and is the more common and widespread of the two species in southern Ontario. Interestingly however, it has a rather restricted total range. In contrast yellow-flowered blue cohosh has a broad range extending further to the north, south, east, and west, and includes a large portion of eastern and midwestern North America. The genus Caulophyllum provides another example of the floristic relationship between eastern Asia and eastern North America (like May-apple, ginseng and goldenseal, all discussed in this work). The eastern Asian representative is C. robustum Maxim. (most closely related to C. thalictroides and once treated as a variety of the latter), which differs from the North American plants in having longer inflorescences on longer stems with more flowers.
Ecology
The species of blue cohosh grow in rich, wet to mesic, shady woods. In Canada they are most frequent in maple woods on limestone, in rocky, calcareous and organic substrates. A Michigan study suggested that seed production requires cross-pollination by insects, but visitation by insects, mostly flies and small bees, was sporadic. However, successful self-pollination was found to be relatively low. The two species are reproductively isolated due to differences in flowering time and other factors.
Medicinal Uses
Blue cohosh is a traditional woman's herb. The best known use is as a parturifacient, i.e., a substance that induces uterine contractions to speed delivery of a baby. Teas and root extracts of blue cohosh were used in the past by Indians and settlers to ease delivery at birth, reduce labor pains, and regulate menstruation. Blue cohosh was used by indigenous North Americans and early settlers to induce abortion, often in conjunction with black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). Side effects included sleepiness, headaches, frequent urination and vomiting as well as arm and leg pains. Herbal abortion may be based on stimulating blood flow to the pelvic area and uterus, or stimulating a hormone responsible for uterine contractions. Blue cohosh has been associated with the latter mechanism. Although it promotes delivery, the extent to which blue cohosh causes abortion is unclear. Herbal abortion may be limited in effectiveness and is generally considered dangerous. Less commonly, the herb was used to reduce spasms, relieve stomach cramps, expel parasitic worms, and treat lung ailments, asthma, bronchitis, nervous disorders, urinary tract ailments, rheumatism, arthritis, breast pain, nervous cough, epilepsy, gout, gonorrhea, hysteria, and bee stings. The leaves of blue cohosh have been applied externally to treat the dermatitis induced by poison ivy and related species. In recent times, blue cohosh tea was even recommended for runners to ease the symptoms of muscle spasms and leg cramps. Although not widely used today in drug products, blue cohosh is available in natural herbal supplements, especially for women. Clinical studies are needed to establish the safety and efficacy of blue cohosh.
The Asian species of Caulophyllum, C. robustum, is used in China to treat rheumatism and menstrual disorders, the roots either being soaked in rice wine or decocted for tea.
Chemistry
The roots and rhizomes are collected in the autumn at which time they are reported to be richest in active chemicals. The medicinally significant substances are evidently the glycosides (saponins, particularly caulosaponin) and alkaloids, particularly methylcytisine (caulophyffine), but also anagyrine, baptifoline, and magniflorine. Methylcytisine, which increases respiration, blood pressure, and intestinal motility (sometimes causing intestinal spasms), is reported to have effects similar to nicotine, although less pronounced. The glycosides have been associated with uterine stimulation, vasoconstriction of coronary blood vessels, and antifungal properties. Plant extracts have been shown to be antimicrobial and, in rats, anti-inflammatory and ovule-inhibitory action has been reported, the latter suggesting contraceptive potential. The Russian literature on the chemical composition of the Asian C. robustum is much more extensive than the information available on the North American species, and could prove useful because of the close relationship of the species.
Non-Medicinal Uses
Blue cohosh is occasionally cultivated as a garden ornamental. Some texts indicate that the pea-sized seeds can be roasted to make a coffee-like beverage.
Agricultural and Commercial Aspects
Blue cohosh is harvested from the wild in some parts of North America and is considered at risk from overcollecting in some areas. Although little information is available on its cultivation, it might be grown and harvested in much the same way as ginseng. Plants could be propagated by either root division after flowering or by seeds. Blue cohosh could become a medicinal crop, and the climate and soil in parts of southern Canada including its natural range are well suited to its growth.
Myths, Legends, Tales, Folklore, and Interesting Facts
In 1915 wild Canadian dried rootstock of blue cohosh was worth 3 - 5½¢ a pound. Other prices for comparison: pair of socks: 4¢; steel frying pan: 8¢ skirt: $1.00; pair of shoes: $2.00; shotgun $5.00; man's suit: $10.00; bicycle: $15.00; piano: $100.00.
Modern flowering plants are divided into two great groups, dicots (dicotyledons, with two seed leaves), and monocots (monocotyledons, with one seed leaf). Most of the plants treated in this work are dicots (sweet grass and sweet flag are monocots, and the keips are not flowering plants). Blue cohosh is a dicot, but is very unusual in having floral parts in multiples of three, like most monocots (for example, lilies, grasses, sedges and orchids).
The gymnosperms (mostly evergreen conifers like pines and spruces) are a more ancient lineage of plants, lacking true flowers. Another characteristic is naked seeds (gymnosperm is Greek for naked seed), and the naked seeds of the unusual Caulophyllum are curiously reminiscent of the quite unrelated gymnosperms.
Using herbs to regulate birth was considered to be incontrovertible evidence of witchcraft during the witch hunts (1450-1700), and so at the time reliable information on blue cohosh and some other herbs used to treat gynecological conditions was difficult to obtain.
In 1856, Charles Darwin questioned Harvard botanist Asa Gray about how the plants of eastern Asia, widely separated from the plants of eastern North America, came to be very similar. Gray subsequently examined a rich collection from Japan and wrote that: "perhaps the most interesting and unexpected discovery of the expedition is that of Caulophyllum thalictroides separated by 140 degrees of longitude, are we to suppose independent origin?" Gray later developed the explanation of a previously more continuous temperate flora that was separated in ancient times by geological and climate change. This influenced Darwin's theory of evolution.
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Directions
Stir 1/4 of a teaspoon into a glass of water and consume 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Toxocity
Although blue cohosh preparations are often recommended for female discomforts, these remedies should not be used during pregnancy, and not without a physician's guidance. Menstrual irregularities, for example, could have many undiagnosed causes, such as pregnancy, cancers, ovarian cysts and thyroid disorders, and herbal remedies may be quite inappropriate. The strong uterine contractions provoked by caulosaponin could endanger a pregnancy. Caulosaponin also constricts coronary blood vessels, and thereby has a toxic effect on cardiac muscle. Since blue cohosh can increase blood pressure, those already at risk from this condition probably should avoid the herb. Caulosaponin is also a suspected teratogen (i.e., causes birth defects). Nausea, vomiting and gastroenteritis are reported as a consequence of large doses or prolonged consumption. The dust of the powdered root is strongly irritating to mucous membranes, and therefore commercial powdered preparations must be handled carefully. The blue "berries" are insipid and various texts recommend that they not be eaten. There are reports of children being poisoned by them, although other reports indicate "low toxicity."
Additional Information
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