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Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Actaea racemosa a.k.a. Cimicifuga racemosa
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: black cohosh, black bugbane, black snakeroot, rattle-top, or fairy candle;[1]
Ethnobotany: The Native Americans used Black cohosh extracts for joint pain, myalgia, and neuralgia, and also for climacteric symptoms, rheumatism, and gynecological complaints.[2] In Chinese medicine, the rhizomes of the species have been identified as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic medicine.[2] Other traditional uses include: rheumatoid muscular pain, headache, inflammation and dysmenorrhea.[4] When European settlers first showed up in the US to cause the rightful indigenous owners of this country problems and steal their crap, the Black Cohosh plant first appeared in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia under the name "black snakeroot".[1] Don't confuse this plant with another Native American favorite that's called snakeroot or rattle-snake-master, scientific name E. aquaticum
Natural Habitat: Black Cohosh is native to eastern North America (a Native American medicinal herbal remedy) from the deep south of Ontario Canada, to around the deep south eastern US, and west from Missouri and Arkansas.[1] It thrives in habitats that are very foresty(if that's even a word).[1]
Mixes well with: This particular plant is one I have never worked with, however I understand the pharmacology of quite a bit of plants, as I have studied them from academic sources and books for over ten years, as a amateur scholar(meaning I haven't been in actual school, but have been learning as an amateur from scholarly sources on my own accord, which includes books written by scholars[I count that]) Having said all of that, I am really good at quickly recognizing which plants share similar properties, and can group them together in my mind as such. With that being said, Black Cohosh sounds like something that would mix well with Chickweed, Chamomile and Damiana(it's an aphrodisiac and is made for sexual things, including benefits to sexual organs of both male and female nature) I find that aphrodisiacs tend to go well with herbs used for female related ailments like PMS, menstrual issues, etc. Bulrush should also vibe well with Black Cohosh.
OG Observations: I have been learning about a lot of plants used by the Native Americans that share the common nickname or slang name, as I like to call them. The slangname that this one seems to share with others is: "snakeroot". Beware of this, and don't confuse plants. It's just something to keep in mind. It's always good to remember plants by more than one slang name, so that they can be more easily communicated. I also wanted to point out how I was talking about in the paragraph above this one how I believe that plants which are used as aphrodisiac(for sexual enhancement and libido), should naturally vibe well with remedies used for female related ailments..(menstrual issues, pms, etc).. Well, the fact that Damiana(an aphrodisiac), and Black Cohosh(used for female ailments), both produce the same caffeic acid, is evidence of that. We can see from that simple fact that they share some of the same phytochemical components, or at least caffeic acid. A lot of plants share many of the commonly expected principles, such as tannins, saponins, etc. It's interesting to see how there are very commonly recurring chemicals in pretty much every plant, but then there are unique phytochemical components that are only produced by a certain few species. For example, like how passiflorine is specific to passion flower, or how THC is only produced by Cannabis, or how Mitragynine is only found in Kratom. This means that two plants can be very similar in their phytochemical makeup(what they produce and contain within their dried plant material), but still have a totally different personality from one another. They synergize well together, but they still have their own personality and uniqueness still. On the other hand, we also have the fact that all of these plants(kratom, cannabis, passion flower), all produce these specific chemicals that can only be found in those specific species, but yet they produce other chemicals that can be found in pretty much every plant that exist(like tannins, saponins, etc)
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemistry is the study of the pharmacological active chemical components of medicinal plants(herbal remedies). Those pharmacological active chemical components of said medicinal plants, are called phytochemicals. Examples of popularly known phytochemicals includes: THC, Morphine, Cocaine, Psilocybin, DMT, or more innocent ones like CBD, Caffeine, Melatonin, and Menthol. Everyone knows about phytochemicals or uses at least one in their day to day life, but probably isn't aware that they're called phytochemicals Ethnobotany and phytochemistry are sort of married to one another because of the fact that phytochemist learn about which plants to study in the laboratory because of the field of ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is sort of like a pre-cursor if you will, to phytochemistry. The ethnobotanical industry supplies academics with specimens for research. Edens Ethnobotanicals literally supplied researchers with ethnobotanical specimens, specimens whose research would lead to the discovery of new medicines. Edens ethnos was illegally arrested for not breaking the law, over kratom(in 2018). The socialist are seeking to rig the ethnobotanical industry. They targeted him because he founded the American Kratom Association, and kept kratom legal, and because he provided researchers with ethnobotanicals to study in the phytochemistry lab.
Phytochemicals: Black Cohosh produces caffeic acid(which is also produced by a plant called Damiana), various saponins, and phenolic acids.[5] "Triterpene glycosides named cimiracemosides A−H, respectively, and eight known triterpene glycosides were isolated from the rhizome extracts of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). The new compounds were determined by spectral data to be 21-hydroxycimigenol-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, 21-hydroxycimigenol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside, cimigenol-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, 12β-acetoxycimigenol-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, 24-acetylisodahurinol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside, 20(S),22(R),23(S),24(R)-16β:23;22:25-diepoxy-12β-acetoxy-3β,23,24-trihydroxy-9,19-cycloanost-7-ene-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside, 20(S),22(R),23(S),24(R)-16β:23;22:25-diepoxy-12β-acetoxy-3β,23,24-trihydroxy-9,19-cycloanost-7-en-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, and 20(S),22(R),23(S),24(R)-16β:23;22:25-diepoxy-12β-acetoxy-3β,23,24-trihydroxy-9,19-cycloanostane-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside".[3]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: The roots of the herb Cimicifuga racemosa(Black cohosh) are used for gynecologic disorders.[2] Black cohosh has been studied for the treatment of menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, profuse sweating, sleep troubles(insomnia), depressive moods, and more.[2]
Related Ethnobotanicals: Chamomile, Frankincense(Boswelia), Olmedioperebea sclerophylla, Cowage(Mucuna pruriens), Lemon Balm(Melissa officinalis), Opium Poppy(Papaver somniferum), Argyreia nervosa
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Academic citations:
[2] Liske, Eckehard. "Therapeutic efficacy and safety of Cimicifuga racemosa for gynecologic disorders." Adv Nat Ther 15.1 (1998): 45-53.
[3] Shao, Y., Harris, A., Wang, M., Zhang, H., Cordell, G. A., Bowman, M., & Lemmo, E. (2000). Triterpene glycosides from Cimicifuga racemosa. Journal of natural products, 63(7), 905-910.
[4] Salari, Sofia, et al. "Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, traditional and modern uses of Actaea racemosa L.(Black cohosh): a review." Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health (2021): 403-449.
[5] Li, Xican, et al. "Antioxidant activity and mechanism of Rhizoma Cimicifugae." Chemistry Central Journal 6 (2012): 1-10.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Actaea racemosa," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimicifuga_racemosa (accessed December 16, 2024).
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov