Black cohosh - Cimicifuga racemosa Black cohosh, or Cimicifuga racemosa, is a member of the buttercup family found in rich woods of the eastern deciduous forest from southern Ontario south to Georgia, west to Arkansas, north to Wisconsin. Cimicifuga racemosa is equally at home in the perennial border as it is in its shaded haunts in the eastern deciduous forest. Pre-colonial botanical observers in America couldn't help but notice the handsome, robust foliage, with the tall spikes of brilliant white flowers, waving like a flag to attract attention. Native American groups of eastern North America looked deeper than its obvious beauty, believing that the thick, knobby, resin-scented roots must hold medicinal value. Black cohosh fits into several categories including woodland wildflower, garden perennial, and medicinal herb.
Black cohosh is a rising star on the herbal horizon.
Origins Black cohosh is a member of the buttercup family found in rich woods of the eastern deciduous forest from southern Ontario south to Georgia, west to Arkansas, north to Wisconsin. This perennial woodland plant likes the deep shade of moist hillsides, the home of other important medicinal plans such as goldenseal and ginseng. The middle lobe of the sharply-toothed leaflets is the largest. The plant is little-noticed until it sends up its tall spikes of showy white flowers, three to eight feet tall. In begins blooming in May in the southern part of its range, continuing to flower into September in more northerly regions.