At this time the plants are still young and they have not gotten to the point of producing flowers and the signature blue berries. The two blue cohosh plants in the garden are hidden somewhat out of sight behind the stalks of asters and they are about a foot high. Eventually, in another year or two they will be twice that tall and will be producing fruit. In the meantime, the distinctive leaves contribute a greyish-blue hue to the surrounding groundcover.
The rootstock of this plant, native to eastern North America, is well known in the medical community and by herbal aficionados for its medicinal properties. In particular, blue cohosh root powder is used for stimulating the uterus and starting labor; starting menstruation; stopping muscle spasms; as a laxative; and for treating colic, sore throat, cramps, hiccups, epilepsy, hysterics, inflammation of the uterus, and joint conditions. As an analgesic it is more effective than aspirin. You want to be careful about administering blue cohosh root powder without having adequate medical supervision. The effects are similar to what estrogen (a hormone) does to a human body. Additionally, extracts from the plant narrow the heart blood vessels and can decrease oxygen supply to the heart. Caulophyllum thalictroides root extracts are something you want to stay away from if you suffer from heart disease or high blood pressure. On the other hand, there is apparently some food value in the seeds – you can roast them and use them as a coffee substitute.
Blue cohosh grows 1 to 3 feet high. When it first emerges from the soil in the spring the plant is covered with a bluish-green bloom which gradually disappears. In the next few years I hope to see the small greenish-yellow flowers appear during May and June. In the fall seeds, resembling blue berries, will appear on stalks. Over time the plant produces a thick mass of roots.
I am not quite sure how it ended up in the woodland garden, but it enjoys a moist woodland environment. The conditions are certainly ideal. Most likely it arrived as a seedling or seed stowaway among other plants I purchased. I have not observed blue cohosh anywhere in the woods around my house.
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