Black cohosh is used as a smooth-muscle relaxant, an antispasmodic, an antitussive, an astringent, a diuretic, an antidiarrheal, an antiarthritic, and a hormone balancer in perimenopausal women. It is also used to decrease uterine spasms in the fi rst trimester of pregnancy, as an antiabortion agent, and as a treatment for dysmenorrhea.
