CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA

Other names: Black cohosh black snakeroot rattleroot cohosh bugbane

squawroot

Made From
  Black Snake-root (CIMICIFUGA - ACTAEA RACEMOSA - MACROTYS)

Background
Traditionally used by native Americans for health problems in women. Used in
contemporary herbal medicine as a sedative and antidepressant.

Origin
Indigenous to Canada and eastern parts of the US, but now also grown in Europe.
Prefers moist, shady conditions, such as those to be found in woods and hedgerows.

Preparation
Fresh root and rhizome are harvested in fall. They are pounded to a pulp, then mixed
with alcohol and left to stand before being strained, filtered, and succussed.

Profile
Primarily a women’s remedy, Cimicifuga is particularly suited to those whose
emotions swing between overexcitement and depression. They tend to have very
intense emotional lives, possibly marked by fears of death and insanity. Emotional
symptoms often alternate with physical ones, such as chilliness and sharp pains,
especially on the left side of the body. Symptoms may intensify during menstruation.
  Cimicifuga acts upon the nerves and   uterine muscles. It is prescribed mostly   for
gynecological problems; for head, neck, and back pain; and for emotional symptoms.

Key Symptoms
 depression 
neck and back pain 
fear   of death 
overexcitability 
menstrual irregularities

Diseases
Menopause

 Severe hot flashes, fainting spells,  and other typical menopausal symptoms, but in an
extreme form. Depression and irrational fears are common

Aggravation

For cold; for sitting; for emotional stress

Amelioration:

For open air; for bending double; for gentle movement

Menstrual problems

  Heavy menstrual flow, with dark- red, clotted blood, shooting, cramping pains
radiating across the pelvis into the thighs, and bearing-down pains in the lower back.
Menstruation is often too frequent, too early, or absent. Before menstruation there
may be burning breast pain and congestion in the head. Premenstrual syndrome,
depression  (see right), and irrational fears are commonly associated with the remedy.

Aggravation

For cold; for sitting; for stress.

 Amelioration:

For open air; for bending double; for gentle movement

Pregnancy

 Vomiting, nausea, and lack of sleep.  Lower back pain and a bruised feeling all over
the body are common, with abdominal pains shooting from side to side. There may be
depression and irrational fears (see below). Cimicifuga may also be prescribed for
protracted labor and recovery from an  early miscarriage.

Aggravation

For cold; for sitting; for emotional stress

Amelioration:

For open air; for bending double; for gentle movement

Head & neck pain

  Headaches in the top or side of   the head, which may dull thought, or pain   or
stiffness in the neck or nape of the neck, which may radiate to the upper back   or
shoulders.

Aggravation

For cold, wind, drafts, and damp; for weather changes; for physical strain; for menstruating;
for menopause; at night

Amelioration:

For open air; for wrapping up; for lying flat; for pressure on the neck and head.

Depression
Black moods and heavy sighing,   alternating with euphoria, loquaciousness,and a
tendency to jump from topic to topic. Possible fears of insanity and death worsen with
the onset of menopause. Cimicifuga may also be given for postpartum
depression,especially when accompanied by feelings of imprisonment.

Aggravation

For menstruating; for pregnancy; after giving birth; for menopause.

Amelioration:

For open air; for gentle movement.

Author:William BOERICKE, M.D.

CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA
  Black Snake-root (CIMICIFUGA - ACTAEA RACEMOSA - MACROTYS)

Has a wide action upon the cerebrospinal and muscular system, as well
as upon the uterus and ovaries. Especially useful in rheumatic, nervous
subjects with ovarian irritation, uterine cramps and heavy limbs. Its
muscular and crampy pains, primarily of neurotic origin, occurring in
nearly every part of the body, are characteristic. Agitation and pain
indicate it. Pains like electric shocks here and there. Migraine. Symptoms
referable to the pelvic organs prominent. "It lessens the frequency and
force of the pulse soothes pain and allays irritability".

Mental

Sensation of a cloud enveloping her. Great depression, with dream of

impending evil. Fears riding in a closed carriage, of being obliged to jump
out. Incessant talking. Visions of rats, mice, etc. Delirium tremens; tries
to injure himself. Mania following disappearance of neuralgia.

Head

Wild feeling in brain. Shooting and throbbing pains in head after mental
worry, over-study, or reflex of uterine disease. Waving sensation or
opening and shutting sensation in brain. Brain feels too large. Pressing-
outward pain. Tinnitus. Ears sensitive to least noise.
Eyes

Asthenopia associated with pelvic trouble. Deepseated throbbing and

shooting pains in eyes, with photophobia from artificial light. Intense
aching of eyeball. Pain from eyes to top of head.

Stomach
Nausea and vomiting caused by pressure on spine and cervical region.
Sinking in epigastrium (Sep; Sulph). Gnawing pain. Tongue pointed and
trembling.

Female

Amenorrhœa (use Macrotin preferably). Pain in ovarian region; shoots

upward and down anterior surface of thighs. Pain immediately before
menses. Menses profuse, dark, coagulated, offensive with backache,
nervousness; always irregular. Ovarian neuralgia. Pain across pelvis,
from hip to hip. After-pains, with great sensitiveness and intolerance to
pain. Infra-mammary pains worse, left side. Facial blemishes in young
women.

Respiratory

Tickling in throat. Dry, short cough, worse speaking and at night. Cough
when secretion is scanty-spasmodic, dry with muscular soreness and
nervous irritation.

Heart

Irregular, slow, trembling pulse. Tremulous action. Angina pectoris.

Numbness of left arm; feels as if bound to side. Heart's action ceases
suddenly, impending suffocation. Left-sided infra-mammary pain.

Back

Spine very sensitive, especially upper part. Stiffness and contraction in

neck and back. Intercostal rheumatism. Rheumatic pains in muscles of
back and neck. Pain in lumbar and sacral region, down thighs, and
through hips. Crick in back.

Extremities

Uneasy, restless feeling in limbs. Aching in limbs and muscular soreness.

Rheumatism affecting the belly of muscles, especially large muscles.
Choreic movements, accompanied by rheumatism. Jerking of limbs.
Stiffness in tendo-Achilles. Heaviness in lower extremities. Heavy,
aching, tensive pain.

Sleep

Sleeplessness. Brain irritation of children during dentition.

Skin

Locally and internally for ivy poisoning.

Modalities

Worse, morning, cold (except headache), during menses; the more

profuse the flow, the greater the suffering. Better, warmth, eating.

Relationship

Compare: Rhamnus Californica (muscular pains, lumbago, pleurodynia,

acute rheumatism). Derris pinnata (Neuralgic headaches of rheumatic
origin). Aristolochia milhomens (pain in tendo-Achilles; diabetes).
Caulophyl; Pulsat; Lilium; Agar; Macrotin (especially for lumbago).
Dose

First to thirtieth attenuation, third most frequently used.

Author:Dr. S.R. Phatak.

CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA
Cimicifuga racemosa

Generalities

• This remedy has a wide action on Nerves and Muscles.

• It causes depression of mind with low spirits; and exhaustion along

with oversensitiveness esp. for pain.

• It is a great female remedy.

• Plump, delicate, sensitive, nervous, chilly women who complain of

aching pain in back, neck, here and there; many of the complaints are
dependent upon utero-ovarian irritation.

• General sick feeling; with exhaustion.

• Many of the symptoms are irregular, changeful or they alternate in

groups; alternation of physical and mental effects.

• Alternate mental and rheumatic symptoms.

• Pain are violent, achings, shooting, wander here and there, shock like;
with cries, faints etc; go upwards or side to side-up the neck; about the
throat; from ovary to ovary.

• Belly of the muscles feel bruised, sore, heavy aching.

• Trembling, twitching in various organs or of part lain on.

• Compressive pains.

• Hysterical and epileptic convulsions at the time of menses.

• Alternating clonic and tonic spasms.

• Sore and tender along the tract of pain.

- Nervous shuddering.

• Given before the term; it renders labour easier, cures sickness of

pregnancy, prevents the after pains.

• It has also ensured living births, in women who have previously borne
only dead children without any discoverable cause. (should be given in
daily doses in low 1x potency two months before term).

• Myalgia.

• Ovaralgia.

• Lumbago.

• Spasms of cerebro-spinal fever.

• Influenza.

• Chorea; at puberty; with delayed menses; cardiac.

• Ill effects of anxiety; fright, disappointed love; overexertion; business

failure, child bearing.

• Children during dentition.

Worse

• Menstruation; suppressed.

• During labour.

• Emotions.

• Alcohol.
• Night.

• Change of weather.

• Heat and cold.

• Sitting.

• Puberty and climaxis.

• Motion.

• Damp cold air.

• Wine.

- Draft.

Better

• Warm wraps.

- Open air.

• Pressure.

• Eating.

• Continued motion.

• Grasping things.

Mind

• Desire to wander from place to place.

• Melancholy.

• Agitation.
• Nervous, fidgety, excitable and jerky.

• Irritable, least thing which goes wrong makes her crazy.

• Depressed and talkative; with constant change of subjects.

• Suspicious.

- Gloomy forebodings; of death; of insanity, of impending evil etc.

• Thinks she is going crazy.

• Feels faint in epigastrium when meeting a friend.

• Fear of riding in a closed carriage.

• Fears, those in house will kill him.

• Deathly fear of rats.

- Vision of rats, mice, various colours and forms.

• Mania; before menses; alcoholic; tries to injure himself; puerperal;

following disappearance of neuralgias.

• Weak will.

• Takes no interest in house work.

• Indifferent.

• Despondent, seems to feel under a heavy black cloud.

• Suspicious; would not take medicine.

• Sits and mopes in, great sadness; when questioned breaks into tears.

• Mental symptoms are amel. by diarrhoea or menses; agg. after

rheumatism.
Head

• Waving or wild sensation in brain.

• Head retracted. (meningitis).

• Shooting throbbing pains, after mental worry over-study or from reflex

uterine disease amel. open air.

• Head or brain, feels too large.

• Opening and shutting sensation in brain.

• Vertex feels as if it would fly off agg. going upstairs, or as if it opened

and let in cold air, as if cold air was blowing upon the brain, or heat on.

• Feeling as of a blow or as if a bolt has been driven from occiput to

vertex up to the eyes. (left).

• Headache of students.

Eyes

• Intense aching in eyeballs or behind it, amel. pressure agg. slightest

motion.

• Pain from eyes to vertex.

• Eyes feel big; wild look in.

• Sees red flashes with dark borders.

• Can not tolerate artificial light.

• As if a needle were run into the eyeballs, agg. closing eyes.

• Ciliary neuralgia.

Ears
• Tinnitus.

• Sensitive to least noise; with spasmodic labour pains.

• Violent noises in ear with deafness.

Nose

• Sensitive to cold air; every inhalation seems to bring the cold air in
contact of brain.

Face

• Pale, hot.

• Neuralgia affecting malar bones, amel. night, reappears the next day.

• Forehead cold.

• Facial blemishes in young women.

• Forehead feels cold.

• Wild fearful expression.

Mouth

• Salvia thick.

- Coppery taste.

• Hawks up viscid coppery tasting mucus.

• Trembling of tongue.

• Thick mucus on teeth.

• Can not speak a word though she tries.

• Tongue and mouth feel warm.

• Tongue swollen.

Throat

• Burning in.

• Thyroid aches before menses.

Stomach

• Nausea; in morning; of pregnancy; of alcoholism; felt in bowels; agg.

pressure on spine and cervical region.

• Vomits green substance, groans, raves and presses the head with both
the hands for relief.

• Sinking in epigastrium; on meeting a friend.

• Eructations; with nausea, vomiting and headache (women).

Abdomen

• Colic amel. bending double and after stools.

• Frequent thin, dark offensive stools.

• Morning diarrhoea of children.

• Sharp pains across hypogastrium.

• Alternate diarrhoea and constipation.

Urinary

• Profuse clear urine; causing weakness; with yellow sand.

• Nervous urination.
Female

• Menses; profuse, dark, coagulated, scanty, with backache, nervousness;

irregular in time and amount; more flow, more pain.

• Great debility between menses.

• Ovarian neuralgia; pain across pelvis, from ovary to ovary, or goes

upwards or downwards along the thighs.

• Menses suppressed; from emotions, from cold.

• Hysteric or epileptic spasms at the time of menses.

• Uterine atony.

• Presses mammae as though in pain.

• Mania.

• Burning in mammae.

• Slow labour pains with nervous shivers.

• Intolerable after pains agg. in groins.

• Leucorrhoea; with a sensation of weight in the uterus.

• Cardiac neuralgia in parturition.

• Inframammary pains agg. left side.

• Lochia suppressed by cold or emotions.

• Nervous, when coughing and urinating.

• Shudders.

Respiratory
• Tickling, short, dry, constant cough agg. at night, speaking.

• Sharp stitches in left chest, motion extorting cries.

• Pleurodynia.

• Nervous cough.

Heart

• Sore; swelled; or enlarged as if.

• Needle like pains at heart.

• Angina Pectoris - pain spreads all over the chest to the back, and down
the left arm which feels numb and as if bound to the side.

• Heart action ceases suddenly impending suffocation.

• Pulse weak, irregular, trembling; drops every 3rd, or 4th beat.

Neck and back

• Neckache, throws the head back.

• Stiff neck, pain agg. moving the hands.

• Neck retracted.

• Spine, cervical and upper dorsal very sensitive agg. pressure, which
causes nausea and retching.

• Soreness of all the muscles.

• Stiff contracted neck and back.

• Pain in the angle of left scapula.

• Heavy pulsating lumbar pain, through hips and down the thighs.
Extremities

• Uneasy and restless feeling in the limbs.

• Left arm feels as if bound to the side; constant irregular motion of left
arm (Chorea).

• Hands tremble while writing.

• Cramps in limbs; in calves.

• Tendo-achillis stiff and contracted.

• Soles itching.

• Cold sweat on hands and feet.

• Alternation of rheumatic and mental symptoms.

• Trembling of legs, can scarcely walk.

• Numbness of limbs.

Sleep

• Comatose; as if drunk.

• Sleeplessness.

• Sleeps; with arms overhead or yawning.

Related

• Bap; Caul; Gels; Ign; Puls.

Author:John W. Hutchison, M. D.

CIMICIFUGA
1. Pains in every portion of the head, but more in vortex and occiput;
pressing and aching; sometimes extending to shoulders and down
the spine.
2. Top of head feels as if it would fly off.
3. Rush of blood to the head, brain fools too large for the cranium, after
suppressed uterine discharges or suddenly ceasing pains.
4. Intense aching pain in eyeballs, worse from moving the head.
5. Nervous or muscular irritation, of a rheumatism or neuralgic origin,
especially in delicate or hysterical women, who are affected with
more or less disease of the generative organs.
6. Neuralgic or rheumatic dysmenorrhoea, with great mental and
nervous Irritability, sleeplessness, low spirited, sensitive.
7. Chronic affections at puberty, the menses not appearing.
8. Menses suppressed from cold or emotions.
9. Bearing down in uterine region and small of back, limbs feel heavy
and torpid.
10. Rheumatic pains in muscles of the neck and back, feeling of stiffness
and contraction.
11. Severe aching pains in the back, down the thighs, through the hips,
with heavy pressing down.
12. Aching or soreness of all the muscles.
13. Sharp, lancinating pains in various parts, associated with ovarian or
uterine irritation.
Author:Eugene Beauharis Nash

CIMICIFUGA
Mind:

Gloominess and dejection as of a black pall over everything; fears she

will be insane.

Head:

Brain feels too large, pressing pain within outward.

Head:

Uterine headaches, frontal, vertical, occipital, with pains in the eyeballs >
by pressure < by motion.

Female Sexual Organs:

Infra mammary pains especially at the climacteric.

Neck and Back:

Stiff neck from cold air, or from even moving hands.