Health
Black cohosh fails to relieve menopausal symptoms
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 15, 2007
The herbal supplement black cohosh has no impact on the vasomotor symptoms of menopause, according to the results of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Dec. 19, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers randomized 351 women who were in the transition or were postmenopausal to receive either 160 mg of this supplement, a multi-botanical that included it along with nine other herbals, the multi-botanical plus counseling about how to get more soy from the diet, hormone replacement or placebo pills.
Those who took hormone therapy experienced far fewer symptoms, but those who took black cohosh, either alone or in combination with other supplements, had the same number of hot flashes and night sweats as the women who took placebo.
Experts say these kinds of data are key to helping physicians guide their patients through their choices for dealing with menopause. Some women are hesitant about hormone therapy after the results of the Women's Health Initiative, and many have turned to herbals such as black cohosh.
"With this information, women and their physicians can have a meaningful discussion of complementary and alternative medicine approaches to menopause," said Ruth L. Kirschstein, MD, acting director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/01/15/hlbf0115.htm.
