Description

Blue cohosh, scientific name Caulophyllum thalictroides, is a perennial flowering plant that grows in moist forest regions throughout the eastern United States. The plant grows up to 3 ft (1 m) tall, and its greenish yellow flowers turn into small blue berries in autumn. The root of the plant, harvested in the fall, is the part that is used medicinally, and has a bittersweet flavor. Blue cohosh is a plant that has long been believed to conform to the doctrine of signatures, which is an ancient idea that the physical shape of plants gives a clue to their medicinal uses. Blue cohosh has branches that are arranged like limbs in spasm, and the herb has been used to treat muscle spasms. It should not be confused with an unrelated herb, black cohosh.

Blue cohosh was widely used by Native Americans to treat a variety of...