Caulophyllum, Blue Cohosh
Squaw root, Yellow Ginseng, Blue Ginseng
Blue Cohosh
Millspaugh, C.F., American medicinal plants (1882-1887)
Blue Cohosh
(Photo by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab) (Wikimedia)
Blue Cohosh root and rhizome
Squibb’s Atlas of the Official Drugs, Mansfield, 1919
Members CLICK HERE for the PRO VERSION
Botanical name:
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Parts used:
Root and Rhizome (fresh or dried)
Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Sweet, Pungent
Constituents:
Alkaloids: Quinolizidine (inc. anagyrines, baptifoline, methylcystine); Isoquinoline (magnoflorine)
Triterpene Saponins: caulosaponin, caulophyllosaponin
Gums, starch, resin
Uses:
1. Moves the Blood, Promotes Menstruation:
-Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea
-Chlorosis with headache, hysteria (Eli Jones)
-Atony of the Uterus, chronic Uterine diseases including Endometriosis and Ovarian Cysts
-Hysteria, PMS
-Infertility
-promotes Labor while easing pain and cramping; taken 7–10 days before due date to promote easier labor.
-false labor of spasmodic nature with threatened miscarriage
2. Settles Wind, Clears Cold, Opens the Channels:
-Fever
-muscular and articular rheumatism
3. Settles Wind, Stops Spasms:
-Nervousness, Anxiety
-Cramps, Convulsions, Epilepsy
-Hypertension
-Neuralgia
-Hiccough
4. Clears Phlegm, Stops Cough:
-Cough, Bronchitis, Asthma
5. Clears Damp-Heat, Promotes Urine:
-Cystitis, Urethritis
-Chronic Nephritis
-spasmodic retention of urine
Main Combinations:
1. Amenorrhea:
i. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
ii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
iii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
iv. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
2. Dysmenorrhea:
i. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
ii: Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
3. Excessive Menstruation, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
4. Hysteria, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
5. To prepare for Childbirth:
i. take the infusion for 1–2 weeks before the due date
ii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
6. To promote Childbirth:
i. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
ii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
7. Postpartum hemorrhage:
i. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
ii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
8. Menopause:
i. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
ii. Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
9. Rheumatism, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
10. Epilepsy, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
11. Chronic Nephritis, Blue Cohosh, … available in PRO version
Major Formulas:
Cautions:
1. Should be avoided in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding. Some sources (such as PDR for Herbal Remedies) state that it should be avoided only in the first trimester. However, concerns about its potential role in congestive heart failure in newborns means it should only be used before and during labor.
2. Its internal use in restricted in some countries.
Drug Interactions:
1. May enhance effects of nicotine
2. May interact with anti-hypertensive medication
3. May interact with Angina pectoris medication
Main Preparations used:
Tincture, Extract
