SafePlants

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Blue cohosh is a flowering plant traditionally used for various medicinal purposes. It's important to note that some sources consider it a potentially toxic herb.

Considerations for Pets

• Blue cohosh produces large blue berry-like fruits.

Considerations for Children

• The plant is also known as "papoose root" or "squaw root," names which are historically associated with childbirth, but the plant's potential effects on children are not detailed in this text.
• Blue cohosh produces large blue berry-like fruits.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Caulophyllum thalictroides
• Family: Berberidaceae (same family as barberry, goldenseal, and Oregon grape root)
• Synonyms/Common Names: Squaw root, papoose root, blueberry root, blue ginseng, yellow ginseng, beech drops, Caulophylle faux-pigamon (French)
• Botanical Name: Caulophyllum thalictroides (MICH.)
• Synonyms: Leontice thalictroides L.

Distribution and Habitat

• Blue cohosh grows throughout North America, particularly in the eastern United States and Canada.
• It is a woodland plant.

Morphological Characteristics

• It's a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years.
• Blue cohosh can grow to be 1-3 feet tall, described as a large, many-stemmed plant.
• The leaves are thrice-compound with lobed leaflets, appearing almost without a true petiole.
• It has greenish-yellow or purplish flowers.
• It produces large blue berry-like fruits.
• The rhizome and roots are hand-harvested in autumn or winter and carefully shade-dried to extract bioactive compounds.

Traditional Uses

• Historically, midwives and naturopaths have used blue cohosh (often in combination with black cohosh) to induce labor.
• It has been used to regulate the menstrual cycle and ease painful cramps.
• Early Americans learned its uses from Native Americans like the Cherokee and Menominee. The Cherokee used it to promote childbirth and relieve uterine inflammation. The Menominee made a root decoction.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Blue cohosh is not related to black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), although they are sometimes used together for similar purposes.

Quirky Facts

• The plant's rhizome and roots are hand-harvested specifically in the autumn or winter, then carefully shade-dried to assure optimal extraction of its bioactive compounds.

Further Information

• Illustration available from USDA Miscellaneous Publication No. 77, Washington, D.C, July, 1930.