Black cohosh is a woodland wildflower native to eastern North America. The popular garden perennial blooms in midsummer with tall, graceful white bottle brush flowers. At the base of each plant is a mass of twisted rhizomes that give black cohosh one of its most common names: black snakeroot.

Black cohosh’s rhizomes and roots are commonly wild- harvested and used for herbal medicine. To Native Americans, black cohosh was known as “squawroot” and prized as a remedy for women’s health problems. Some studies suggest that black cohosh has estrogenic effects, and it is still used by herbal practitioners to treat menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irritability, mood swings, and anxiety.

While cut and sifted black cohosh roots and rhizomes may be prepared as a tea, the dried and ground powder is typically encapsulated as an herbal supplement.