Cimicifuga racemosa L. - Black cohosh

Abstract: Black cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa, is a medicinal herb which originally belonged to the medicinal treasures of the North American Indians. The herb was introduced into modem phytotherapy via homoeopathy. The plant is distributed around the northern hemisphere, only some controlled cultivation is done in the People's Republic of China. For medicinal preparations extracts of the dried rhizome are used. Quality is controlled by determination of the total content of triterpenglycosides. As active ingredients the two triterpenglycosides actein and cimifugiosid and further the flavonoid formononetin have to be mentioned. Extracts of the rhizomes exhibit hormonal properties, especially estrogenic effects. Formononetin is a competitive ligand in the estrogen-receptor assay and it binds to receptors in the uteri of ovarectomized rats. Further pharmacological properties reported from animal experiments are hypoglycemic, hypotensive and anti-inflammatory activities. Extracts of C. racemosa do not possess toxic or mutagenic properties. The clinical efficacy could be demonstrated in open and placebo-controlled trials as well as in comparison to therapy with hormones by significant relief of neurovegetative symptoms. The herbal preparations were very well tolerated with only minor gastrointestinal side-effects.

Keyword(s): Cimicifuga racemosa

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