Wikimedia Commons
Ranunculaceae
Black Cohosh
Actaea racemosa
Feminine strength and healing.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Genus
- Actaea
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 3-8 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, humus-rich, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Native American tribes used root preparations of black cohosh for centuries to treat gynecological conditions and arthritis.
- The towering flower spikes, called racemes, can reach 3 feet tall and give off a faintly unpleasant odor to attract flies and beetles.
- It was formerly placed in the genus Cimicifuga, meaning 'bug repellent,' reflecting its use as an insect deterrent.
- The root was a key ingredient in the 19th-century patent medicine Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound.
- It is now widely studied for phytoestrogens that may help manage menopausal symptoms, though research remains ongoing.
Color meanings
0
protection
1
endurance
2
medicinal power