You’ve probably heard about black cohosh with respect to women’s health. This interesting herb plant has much to offer for those wishing to grow it. Keep reading for more information on black cohosh plant care.
I. Appearance and CharacteristicsÂ
Actaea racemosa, the black cohosh, black bugbane, black snakeroot, rattle-top, or fairy candle (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa), is a species of flowering plant of the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to eastern North America from the extreme south of Ontario to central Georgia, and west to Missouri and Arkansas. It grows in a variety of woodland habitats, and is often found in small woodland openings.
Black cohosh is a smooth (glabrous) herbaceous perennial plant that produces large, compound leaves from an underground rhizome, reaching a height of 25–60 cm (9.8–23.6 in). The basal leaves are up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long and broad, forming repeated sets of three leaflets (tripinnately compound) having a coarsely toothed (serrated) margin.
The flowers are produced in late spring and early summer on a tall stem, 75–250 cm (30–98 in) tall, forming racemes up to 50 cm (20 in) long. The flowers have no petals or sepals, and consist of tight clusters of 55–110 white, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long stamens surrounding a white stigma. The flowers have a distinctly sweet, fetid smell that attracts flies, gnats, and beetles.
The fruit is a dry follicle 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with one carpel, containing several seeds.
A. racemosa grows in dependably moist, fairly heavy soil. It bears tall tapering racemes of white midsummer flowers on wiry black-purple stems, whose mildly unpleasant, medicinal smell at close range gives it the common name “Bugbane”. The drying seed heads stay handsome in the garden for many weeks. Its deeply cut, superficially maple-like leaves, burgundy colored in the variety “atropurpurea”, add interest to gardens, wherever summer heat and drought do not make it die back, which make it a popular garden perennial. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Although this herb prefers shade, it will grow in full sun, however, the plants will be of a lighter shade of green and may have more of a propensity for scalding of the foliage.
Watering
Black cohosh is a water-loving plant that prefers moist soil. It needs regular watering and a more frequent watering schedule during hot spells and long periods of drought. Water the plant whenever the top layer of soil starts drying out. Do not let the soil dry out completely between waterings. The plant doesn’t tolerate dry soil, nor soggy soil.
Soil
Maintain a consistently moist soil for your black cohosh plants, as they dislike drying out.
Fertilizing
Black cohosh grows best in rich soil and likes plenty of organic matter. Each spring, mix in some garden compost or well-rotted farm manure to provide the plant with essential nutrients. If you notice any signs of nutrient deficiency, fertilize the plant accordingly.
Planting Instructions
In order to plant black cohosh in the home garden, either purchase seeds from a reputable nursery or collect your own. To collect seeds, do so in the fall when the seeds are mature and have dried out in their capsules; they will have started to split open and when shaken make a rattling sound.
Sow these seeds immediately. Seeds for growing black cohosh plants must be stratified or exposed to a warm/cold/warm cycle to stimulate germination. To stratify the black cohosh seeds, expose them to 70 degrees F. (21 C.) for two weeks, and then 40 degrees F. (4 C.) for three months.
Once the seeds have gone through this process, plant them 1 ½ to 2 inches (4-5 cm.) apart and about ¼ inch (6 mm.) deep in prepared moist soil that is high in organic matter and covered with a 1 inch (2.5 cm.) layer of mulch.
Propagation
Black cohosh may also be propagated via division or separation in the spring or fall but not sooner than three years after planting.
III. Uses and BenefitsÂ
- Ornamental uses
When grown at the back of borders or beds, black cohosh provides height interest and makes an eye-catching vertical plant. This shade-loving, deer-resistant plant is suitable for cottage gardens, where its bottle-brush heads of petite white flowers can represent an unusual and interesting aesthetic feature.
- Traditional medicine uses
History
Native Americans used black cohosh in the belief it could treat gynecological and other disorders. Following the arrival of European settlers in the U.S. who continued the use of black cohosh, the plant appeared in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia under the name “black snakeroot”. In the 19th century, the root was used to treat snakebite, inflamed lungs, and pain from childbirth.
Herbalism
Extracts from the underground parts of the plant — the rhizome (Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma) and the root (Cimicifugae racemosae radix) — are used in herbal medicine. The rhizomes and roots contain various saponins (triterpene saponins and triterpene glycosides, such as actein) as well as cimifugic acids and other phenol carboxylic acids.
In most European countries, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Argentina and some other countries, black cohosh products are available as herbal products which have been approved by regulatory authorities ensuring reliable pharmaceutical quality, safety and efficacy for the relief of menopausal complaints such as hot flushes and profuse sweating. In the U.S., India, and some other countries, black cohosh is used as a dietary supplement marketed mainly to women for treating menopausal symptoms and other gynecological problems. Meta-analyses of contemporary evidence support these claims on menopausal complaints only for products holding a marketing authorization for this indication, whereas there is no high-quality scientific evidence to support such uses for other products.
Safety concerns
The Herbal Medicinal Product Committee (HMPC) at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has summarized the adverse drug reactions of herbal medicines made from cimicifuga with mentioning allergic skin reactions (urticaria, itching, exanthema), facial oedema and peripheral oedema, and gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e. dyspeptic disorders, diarrhoea).
Studies on the long-term safety of using herbal medicines made from black cohosh are available. They do not show harmful effects on breast tissue, endometrium, or breast cancer survivors. In contrast, such studies have not been published for dietary supplements made from black cohosh. Most black cohosh materials are harvested from the wild. Lack of proper authentication and adulteration of commercial preparations by other plant species are risk factors in dietary supplements and a critical matter of quality control in herbal medicinal products holding a marketing authorization. Very high doses of black cohosh may cause nausea, dizziness, visual effects, a lower heart rate, and increased perspiration.
Worldwide, some 83 cases of liver damage, including hepatitis, liver failure, and elevated liver enzymes, have been associated with using black cohosh, although a cause-and-effect relationship remains undefined. Millions of women have taken black cohosh without reporting adverse health effects, and a meta-analysis of clinical trials found no evidence that black cohosh preparations had adverse effects on liver function. Package leaflets of phytomedicines made from black cohosh caution that people with liver problems should not take it, although a 2011 meta-analysis of research evidence suggested this concern may be unfounded. In 2007, the Australian Government warned that black cohosh may cause liver damage, although rarely, and should not be used without medical supervision. Other studies concluded that liver damage from use of black cohosh is unlikely. The clinical picture is similar to an autoimmune hepatitis with centrilobular liver cell necrosis, which can be treated with corticosteroids.
Phytochemicals and pharmacology
The rhizomes and roots of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa rhizoma) contain diverse phytochemicals, particularly various saponins (triterpene saponins/triterpene glycosides such as actein) as well as cimifugic acids and other phenol carboxylic acids. The pharmacologically active substance comprises the total extract. In the past, estrogen-like properties were attributed to preparations from this herbal drug. However, formonetin—a phytoestrogen compound (isoflavone)—could only be detected in methanolic extracts and was not found in ethanolic or isopropanolic cimicifuga extracts. Today, an estrogen-like mechanism of action can be ruled out. Regarding the alleviation of menopausal symptoms, central nervous activity was suspected as early as 2003, and it has since been confirmed with preclinical and clinical data.
