Natural Menopause Remedies
and Solutions

 

Black cohosh (known as both Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga racemosa), a member of the buttercup family, is a perennial plant that is native to North America. Other common names include black snakeroot, bugbane, bugwort, rattleroot, rattletop, rattleweed, and macrotys. Insects avoid it, which accounts for some of these common names.

What clinical studies have been done on black cohosh and its effect on menopausal symptoms?

 

Black cohosh is used primarily for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. A number of studies using various designs have been conducted to determine whether black cohosh affects menopausal symptoms [5]. Few were placebo-controlled studies, and most assessed symptoms by using the Kupperman index, a scale that combines measures of hot flashes, insomnia, and depression but not vaginal dryness. Those with the best study designs are described below.

 

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was done in breast cancer survivors because most of these women experience hot flashes and many use complementary or alternative remedies. The women were over age 18 and had completed breast cancer treatment at least 2 months before the trial; 85 women (69 of whom completed the trial) took one tablet of placebo or 40 mg/day of black cohosh (as 20 mg twice daily) for 2 months to determine the effect on hot flashes, excessive sweating, palpitations, headaches, poor sleep, depression, and irritability [J.S. Jacobson, Columbia University, written communication, 2002]. Fifty-nine subjects were using tamoxifen (an antiestrogen treatment for breast cancer); tamoxifen users were distributed almost equally between the treatment and control groups.

 

The frequency and intensity of hot flashes decreased in both groups, with no statistical difference between the groups; excessive sweating decreased significantly more in the treatment group than the placebo group. Other symptoms improved equally in both groups, and scores on a health and well-being scale did not change significantly in either group.

 

A 24-week study in 60 women who had undergone hysterectomy but retained at least one ovary compared the effects of 8 mg/day of a black cohosh extract (as four 2-mg tablets daily; isopropanol extract version of Remifemin) with three estrogen regimens: estriol (1 mg/day), conjugated estrogens (1.25 mg/day), and estrogen-progestin therapy (one daily Trisequens tablet containing 2 mg estradiol and 1 mg norethisterone acetate) [7]. In all groups a modified Kupperman index measuring additional physical symptoms was significantly lower at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after treatment began. Black cohosh decreased symptoms similarly to the other treatments, but this study was not placebo controlled.

 

Although some study results suggest that black cohosh may help relieve menopausal symptoms, other study results do not. Studies of black cohosh have yielded conflicting data, in part because of lack of rigor in study design and short study duration (6 months or less). In addition, interpretation of these studies is complicated by the fact that different amounts of black cohosh from different sources were used in the various studies and their outcome measures were different.

 

To provide more definitive evidence on the effects of black cohosh on menopausal symptoms, NCCAM is funding a 12-month, randomized, placebo-controlled study to determine whether treatment with black cohosh is effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of menopausal hot flashes. The study will also assess whether black cohosh reduces the frequency of other menopausal symptoms and improves quality of life. The study will examine the possible mechanisms of action of black cohosh. (Women who are interested in participating in the study, which is at Columbia University in New York City, can find out more at www.clinicaltrials.gov or

 

For more information please visit: http://ods.od.nih.gov