Black cohosh (Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma) is a member of the buttercup family, and is a perennial plant native to North America. It has a long history of use for by women to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

Over recent years it has become a very popular natural alternative to synthetic HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

In spite of it being used successfully by millions of women worldwide it has now been proposed that products containing Black cohosh should carry a warning against possible liver damage.

Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life comments: As Professor Edzard Ernst, Director of Complementary Medicine at the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter & Plymouth says  The warning may be throwing the baby out with the bath water

The evidence supporting this warning is flimsy to say the least given that it was based on just a few poorly documented cases, and further that there appears to be no specific research establishing a mechanism of action for Black cohosh’s effect on the liver.

This case has parallels to the banning of Kava kava a few years ago due to alleged liver toxicity. It was subsequently found that the few cases of liver toxicity were where the patients had been taking many, many times the recommended daily dose, and combining it with prescription drugs. Some countries that had banned Kava kava have since reinstated it.

The current adverse publicity must be music to the ears of the pharmaceutical companies particularly those producing HRT! To get such a warning on even an OTC drug usually requires multiple deaths, not a few small poorly documented cases amongst the many thousands of successful cases.

We use a small amount of Black cohosh in our Total Balance Womens Plus just 16.66mgs per tablet. I would suspect that if indeed Black cohosh did contribute to liver damage in these cases that it would have been in very high doses for example, in the several 1000s of mgs per day. In that respect almost any herbal extract if used in excess has the potential to do damage just like vitamins, and for that matter certainly pharmaceutical drugs.

There is no reason to suspect that modest amounts of Black cohosh will do anything but good for your body if you are a female and certainly nothing become alarmed about or discontinue its use.

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