His and Her Health

Did anyone hear the latest news on black cohosh? Research that appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that the type of black cohosh used in a major study is ineffective for treating menopause-related symptoms.

In my opinion, this is just one study that concentrated on a particular type of black cohosh and not all of it is the same. There are different brands, dosages, extracts, etc. I don't think it's fair to generalize and say black cohosh is ineffective against menopausal symptoms.

In fact, I know many women who find great relief for their symptoms through black cohosh and swear by it. Maybe these women need to voice their opinion and stand up for the fact that this single report focussed on a particular product and not all products are the same. If many women are finding this helps, I wouldn't exactly throw in the towel and forget about it as an option right away, would you?

After the initial shock of last month's black cohosh study, the media is starting to take a closer look at it. The well known supplement may not exactly yield a placebo effect!

In USA Today (1/11/07), the author recognizes there are different formulas of black cohosh that may yield different results. According to the author, there may be other possible explanations to the results of the study that found black cohosh ineffective.

There may have been a lack of uniformity in the supplements being given in the relatively small study. Also, the researchers used different methods of extracting the supplement than other companies (including the well-known product Remifemin).

Medical professionals are wondering if the scientists who conducted the study got the dosage right. It could have been too low a dosage for women to feel an effect.

According to experts, by the end of the study, 30% of women taking the placebo (sugar pill) reported fewer and less severe hot flashes. Maybe this just means that hot flashes subside over time whether they take anything or not!

I'm glad they are taking a closer look at these results. There are a number of possible explanations for them and consumers should be aware of them.

<small>[ 01-11-2007, 12:40 PM: Message edited by: Moderator ]</small>

I cannot take it cause it would interfere with my BPmeds I am on.I loked into ti and some of my friends use it and swear by it so i guess to eeach's own.I wuld also look into who is writing that article and why. heidi

I bought some but now I have been reading about a possible link between black cohosh and liver problems and I don't know if I want to take it.

I have been taking it and it has helped me with my hot flashes like a miracle. Just had also blood work done for my annual medical check up and all my results were perfect so I am hoping that my liver is as good as my blood work results showed.

Black cohosh has been used in European countries for more than 40 years and Germany's "Commission E" (the equivalent of our FDA) has approved it's use for treatment of hot flashes. In the US, it has been used for over 100 years. In fact American Indians used it to treat pain associated with labor and to treat menopausal symptoms. So, in my opinion, this herb does have some health benefits. You should not use black cohosh, however, if you are taking certain medications - tamoxifen (breast cancer) or raloxifene (bone health) as the use of this herb can interfere with the efficacy of these drugs. Talk to your doctor before using this herbal treatment, however, I must warn you that not all medical experts agree, on the effectiveness of black cohosh.