Charms & Harms: Black cohosh

Black Cohosh

Black Cohosh - American Family Physician

Uses and Efficacy Currently, the primary use of black cohosh extract is for alleviation of menopausal symptoms. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology guidelines on the use of botanicals for the management of menopausal symptoms support this use for up to six months, especially in treating the symptoms of sleep and mood disturbance, and hot flushes. [Evidence level C, consensus/exper...

Black Cohosh Hepatotoxicity with Autoimmune Hepatitis Presentation

Herbal medicines have been used for the treatment of various ailments since time immemorial. Black cohosh (BC) is well known for the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms, with conflicting evidence supporting its safety and benefits. We present a rare case of BC-induced autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) with hepatotoxicity in a 69-year-old female. To our knowledge, this represents the third case of BC-...

Black cohosh: an alternative therapy for menopause?

Due to the long-term health risks now associated with hormone replacement therapy, many menopausal women are actively seeking alternative treatments. One such alternative is black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, syn. Cimicifuga racemosa), which has been used in the United States for the treatment of gynecologic complaints for more than 100 years. Review of the published clinical data suggests that bla...

Black Cohosh Considerations of Safety and Benefit

Joseph M. Betz, PhD Linda Anderson, PhD Mark I. Avigan, MD Joanne Barnes, PhD Norman R. Farnsworth, PhD Barbro Gerdén, MD Leigh Henderson, MS Edward J. Kennelly, PhD Uwe Koetter, PhD Stephanie Lessard, MS Tieraona Low Dog, MD, PhD Michelle McLaughlin, BS Belal Naser, MD Ruediger G. W. Osmers, MD, PhD Linda S. Pellicore, PhD John R. Senior, PhD Richard B. van Breemen, PhD Wolfgang Wuttke, MD Joh...