-IBIS-1.5.0-

rx

herb

Caulophyllum thalictroides (Blue Cohosh)

botanicals

definition

botanical name(s): Caulophyllum thalictroides

synonyms: blue cohosh, squaw-root, papoose root

part(s) used: root, rhizome

qualities: bitter, pungent, sweet, warm, dry; ruled by Pluto

affinities:

actions: antirheumatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, parturient, antispasmodic, uterine tonic

dosage:

» powder: 0.3 - 2 g

» tincture: 0.6 - 2 ml.

specific indications: uterine pain, with fullness, weight, and pain in the legs; fullness of tissues as if congested; debility (irritability) of the nervous system, with impaired muscular power; spasmodic muscular pains; articular pain; rheumatic pain of asthenic plethora; epigastric and umbilical colicky pains; dull frontal headache; great thirst; as an oxytocic; to relieve false pains and uterine irritability; sexual debility, with excitability; spasmodic uterine contractions; dysmenorrhea; irregular menstruation; crampy pains in stomach and bowels after eating; pain in toes and fingers not due to tissue changes (Felter and Lloyd, p. 472)

therapy: uterine debility arising from chronic inflammatory conditions; false pains and after-pains; assists labor when delay is due to weakness, fatigue, or lack of uterine power, or when the tissues feel full, as if congested; metritis, endometritis; amenorrhea; ovaralgia; ovaritis; rheumatism of the uterus; menstrual cramps; uterine subinvolution; spasmodic retention of urine (Felter, p. 282); amenorrhea; dysmenorrhea; threatened miscarriage; conditions associated with uterine atony; rheumatic pains (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 54)

AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b

toxicity: 3; see saponin toxidrome

» contraindicated during pregnancy, except in the last two to three weeks (Brinker, p. 23; Felter and Lloyd, p. 471) due to its emmenagogue (Brinker, Lust, Lewis and Elwer-Lewis) and abortifacient effects (Brinker, DeSmet, Lewis and Elwer-Lewis, Farnsworth et al) and its uterine stimulant activity on animal uteri from its saponin (caulosaponin)

» contraindicated in patients with hypertension due to Caulophyllum's ability to constrict blood vessels (Duke, p. 108)

» handling of rootstocks may cause contact dermatitis (Muenscher, p. 8; Hardin, pp. 12-15)

constituents: alkaloids, saponins

footnotes

Brinker F. 1996. The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines, rev. 2nd ed., Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.

British Herbal Medical Association. 1983. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, England: The British Herbal Medical Association.

De Smet PAGM et al. (eds.). 1993. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2, Berlin: Springer-Verlag

Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.

Farnsworth NR, Bingel AS, Cordell GA, Crane FA, Fong HHS. 1975. Potential Value of Plants as Sources of New Antifertility Agents I. J. Pharm. Sci., 64:535-98.

Felter, H. W., and Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.

Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.

Hardin, J. W.; and Arena, J.M. 1974. Human Poisoning from Native Cultivated Plants, 2nd ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Lewis, W.H., and Elvin-Lewis, M.P. 1977. Medical Botany. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Lust, J. 1983. The Herb Book. New York: Bantam Books.

Muenscher, W.C. 1951. Poisonous Plants of the United States. New York: The MacMillan Company.