BLUE COHOSH
(Caulophyllum thalictroides)
beechdrops, blue ginseng, yellow ginseng, blue berry, squaw root, papoose root

Description: Round, simple, erect, 3 ft. high stem grows from a knotty rootstock and half way up it bears a large sessile, tri-pinnate leaf, leaflets, oval, petioled, irregularly lobed. The 6-petaled yellow-green flowers are borne in a raceme or panicle. Fruit, a pea-sized, dark blue berry borne on a fleshy stalk. Eastern and central U.S. in rich woods.

Medicinal: Anthelmintic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, oxytocic, parturient. Rootstock used to regulate menstrual flow, to relieve cramps, to induce labor, children's colic. Steep 1 oz. root in 1 pint boiling water. Take 2 Tbsp. Every 2-3 hours in hot water or a tincture of 5-10 drops every 4-6 hours as needed. Should be given with other herbs and used with medical supervision. CAUTION: Can be irritating to mucous surfaces and cause dermatitis on contact. Children have been poisoned by the fruits.

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