Black cohosh Facts
Black cohosh Facts
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| Interesting Black cohosh Facts: |
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| Black cohosh has erect, smooth, purplish stem that can reach 4 to 8 feet in height. |
| Black cohosh produces large leaves composed of three leaflets with irregularly toothed edges. Leaves can be 3 ft 3 in long and wide. Wild plants produce green leaves. Some cultivated varieties of black cohosh have burgundy-colored leaves. |
| Black cohosh develops small feathery, white flowers arranged in the form of dense, elongated clusters on top of the flowering stem. Flowers do not have petals and sepals. They consists only of 55 to 110 white stamens (male reproductive organs) which surround centrally positioned white pistil (female reproductive organ). |
| Black cohosh blooms from May to July. Flowers emit fetid smell which attracts flies, gnats and various beetles, responsible for the pollination of this plant. |
| Fruit of black cohosh is dry follicle filled with few seed. Fruit ripens from August to October. |
| Black cohosh propagates via seed and division of rhizome. |
| Name "black cohosh" refers to the black colored, thick, knobby rhizome of this plant ("cohosh" means "knobby root" in the language of Native Americans). Black cohosh is also known as "black snake root", due to unusual, snake-like shape of the rhizome. |
| Black cohosh is rich source of vitamins A and B5. |
| Black cohosh is also known as "women's remedy" because of its effectiveness and frequent usage in treatment of menstrual cramps, hot flushes and mood swings (and other symptoms of menopause) and pain in the breasts, uterus and ovaries. |
| Rhizome of black cohosh was also used in treatment of arthritis, whooping cough, bronchitis, diarrhea and hypertension in the past, and juice squeezed from the plant in treatment of snake bites. |
| Harvest of black cohosh takes place at the beginning of the autumn. Rhizome needs to be washed and dried in the sun before consumption. |
| More than 500.000 pounds of dried rhizome of black cohosh are consumed each year. Black cohosh market is industry worth of 2.5 million dollars. |
| Black cohosh is available in the form of tinctures, capsules, tablets and powders. Root and rhizome are main ingredients of numerous commercially available dietary supplements. One of the best known and most commonly used herbal remedy is Remifemin, which is very popular in Europe. |
| Entire plant emits unpleasant smell which repels insects. Juice obtained from the plant can be used instead of conventional insect repellents. That's how black cohosh earned its nickname "bugbane". |
| Black cohosh is perennial plant (lifespan: more than 2 years in the wild). |
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