Common Names
Blue cohosh, blueberry cohosh, blueberry root, blue ginseng, papoose root, squaw root, yellow ginseng.

Description
A perennial that grows to 3 feet in height. It has an almost sessile leaf at top, and leaflets are either 2- or 3-lobed. In spring, plant sends up a small, elongated axis of yellowish-green flowers. Rootstock is knotty and matted.

Flowering Period
April to early June.

Habitat
Richly wooded mountains and hardwood glades.

Harvest
Rhizomes and roots in the fall.

Uses
This herb has been called papoose root or squaw root because of its use by American Indians to facilitate childbirth. The rhizome has been used to treat chronic rheumatism, bronchitis, and colic.