cohosh – cimicifuga dahurica (turch.) mahim.
Botanical characteristic. Buttercup family. Perennial herbaceous plant. The rhizome is thick, many-headed, creeping with a large number of cord-like roots. Stems unbranched, straight, slightly furrowed, 1.5-2 m high. Leaves alternate, lower ones on long petioles, twice or thrice-triple, upper ones are smaller, almost sessile. Flowers solitary, creamy white, collected in a paniculate racemose inflorescence (Fig. 25). Blossoms in July-August, fruits ripen in August-September.
Distribution – Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Eastern Transbaikalia. Grows on edges, clearings, in thickets of bushes, on dry valley meadows.
Medicinal raw materials. Harvest rhizomes with roots in autumn (August – September), leaving young, non-flowering plants, which allows re-collection in 3-4 years at the same place. To do this, within the plant within a radius of 25 cm, loosen the ground and extract the rhizome with roots, trying not to break off their numerous processes. Raw materials are shaken off the ground, quickly washed and dried at a temperature of 40-45 ° C or in a warm, well-ventilated room. Large rhizomes are pre-cut into pieces of 5-7 cm.
Chemical composition. Triterpene glycosides, tannin, resins, phytosterol, saponins and a number of other substances were found in rhizomes and roots, and flavonoids (quarcetin and kaempferol) were found in flowers and leaves.
pharmacological properties. It has been experimentally proven that the alcoholic tincture of the plant has a sedative effect on the central nervous system, reduces motor activity and pain susceptibility of laboratory animals, increases the amplitude of heart contractions without changing the rhythm, lowers blood pressure, increases diuresis and relaxes smooth muscles.
The tincture has low toxicity and does not cause side effects even in large doses.
Application. A tincture of the plant (1:5 in 70% alcohol) is used as a sedative and hypotensive agent.
Its approximate dose for small animals is 10-30 drops 2-3 times every day.
dog
Rp.: T-rae Cimicifugae dahuricae 50.0
DS 20 drops with water 3 times a day.