BLACK COHOSH

Black Cohosh(Cimicifuga Racemosa) is part of the buttercup family and grows native in parts of North America, most abundantly in the eastern woodlands.

It produces black roots and knotty rhizomes.
Black Cohosh is valued for its hormone and mood balancing properties.

Its dried root contains a number of phytoestrogens(oestrogen like plant hormones) of which formonentin is thought to be the most important.

It also has a direct action on the centres of the brain that help control dilation of blood vessels, which is very useful for alleviating menopausal problems such as hot flushes and night sweats.

It is also useful in helping menstrual cramps.

Black Cohosh is one of the most widely used and studied natural alternatives to HRT and standardised extracts have been shown to produce better results in relieving hot flushes, vaginal thinning and dryness, depression and anxiety compared to standard HRT.

It also has a normalising effect on female sex hormones  so it is also useful for improving low sex drive, which can sometimes occur at this time of life.

It is sometimes combined with St John's Wort and one trial found  78% of women found a reduction in hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms when these two herbs were used together. Improvements usually start to occur within two to four weeks.

Black Cohosh is also an excellent nervous system tonic for both women and men, and it brings desperately sought relief from the unexplained muscle pain of fibromyalgia.

Doses are usually 80mg-160mg of a standardised extract daily.

No serious side effects have been reported - some people have experienced headache, nausea or indigestion if they have taken too much Black Cohosh.