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. For a good product containing Black Cohosh, click here.

There have been some news reports lately about safety issues related to Black Cohosh and liver function.
It is not known for sure whether this is directly as a result of the Black Cohosh, whether it is due to some manufacturing contaminant or whether it is the standardisation of the extracts that is contributing.
Also, more needs to be known about the brands that may be associated with liver toxicity. Where information about the brand has been provided there is one common feature, in that all were Black Cohosh Extracts standardised to contain 2·5% of a glycoside sugar called 27-deoxyacetin.

From the evidence obtained, it is difficult to determine if there is a risk of abnormal liver function tests or hepatitis with all Black Cohosh products, or if these reactions are limited to Extracts of Black Cohosh,
Apparently, the hepatotoxicity noted in patients receiving black cohosh improved or completely recovered after they stopped taking it.

However all women wishing to try Black Cohosh, should do so under the supervision of a healthcare professional and those taking it on a long term basis should have their doctors monitor their liver function.
Women who suffer or have suffered from liver damage or hepatitis should not use Black Cohosh.