Black Cohosh and Menopausal Problems

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga Racemosa) is one of the most popular homeopatic remedies these days. It is well-known for its ability to be helpful in treatment of various desieses. All over the world scientists are learning more about this unique berry through various studies being conducted.
Black Cohosh is a part of the buttercup family, grows native in the eastern parts of North America. Its black roots and knotty rhizomes are used.
This unique plant is valued for its hormone and mood balancing properties.

Black Cohosh is rich in many useful substances. For instance, its dried root contains a number of phytoestrogens. Formonentin is said to be the most important.

The Benefits of Black Cohosh

There is no end of the benefits of Black Cohosh. It has a direct action on the centres of the brain that help control dilation of blood vessels. So it is very useful for alleviating menopausal problems such as a hot flushes and night sweats.

It’s very important to underline that it is useful in helping menstrual cramps.

Nobody can deny that Black Cohosh is one of the most widely used and studied natural alternatives to HRT. Its standardised extracts have been shown to produce better results in relieving hot flushes, vaginal thinning and dryness, depression and anxiety compared to standard HRT.

In addition, Black Cohosh has a normalising effect on female sex hormones. So it is useful for improving low sex drive, which can sometimes occur at this time of life.

It is quite often combined with St John’s Wort. When these two herbs are used together, they lead to a reduction in hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms. Improvements usually start to occur within 2-4 weeks.

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

As a rule, doses are 80mg-160mg of a standardised extract daily.

As for the safety issues of Black Cohosh, more research should be done. The influence of this plant on liver function isn’t understood for sure.
It is not known 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. Moreover, more needs to be known about the brands that may be associated with liver toxicity. However, 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.

Hepatitis with Black Cohosh

Anyway, 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.
However, the hepatotoxicity noted in patients receiving black cohosh improved or completely recovered after they stopped taking it.

If you wish to try Black Cohosh, then you should do so under the supervision of your healthcare professional. And if you plan to take it on a long term basis, then you should have your doctor monitor your liver function.
You should keep in mind that if you suffer or have suffered from liver damage or hepatitis, you should not use Black Cohosh.

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