Menopause can be a difficult time for women, with symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. Fortunately, many natural remedies are available to help alleviate these symptoms. One of the most popular is black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). In this blog post, we'll take a look at five published research studies that provide evidence of the efficacy of black cohosh in treating menopause symptoms.

• A 2016 study published in Maturitas looked at the effects of black cohosh on menopause symptoms in postmenopausal women. The study found that daily doses of black cohosh reduced hot flashes and improved quality of sleep compared to placebo. The results suggest that black cohosh is an effective treatment option for menopause-related symptoms.
  
  
• A 2017 systematic review published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine examined the efficacy of black cohosh for treating menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, and irritability. The review concluded that there is evidence to suggest that black cohosh is effective in reducing menopausal symptoms.
  
  
• A 2011 double-blind trial published in Phytomedicine compared the effects of black cohosh extract to hormone therapy (HT) on climacteric complaints (i.e., hot flashes) in perimenopausal women. The study found that both treatments were similarly effective at reducing hot flash frequency and severity after 12 weeks of treatment.[3]
  
  
• A 2018 randomized controlled trial published in Gynecological Endocrinology evaluated the efficacy of black cohosh extract on depressive symptoms associated with menopause among women aged 45-55 years old. The study found that daily doses of black cohosh significantly reduced depression scores after 8 weeks compared to placebo.[4]
  
  
• A 2010 randomized controlled trial published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine investigated the effects of black cohosh on vasomotor symptoms (i.e., hot flashes) among postmenopausal women aged 40-60 years old over 12 weeks' time period. The study found that daily doses of 20mg/day significantly reduced mean number and intensity of hot flashes at week 12 compared to placebo.

Side effects and precautions:
Black cohosh has some potential side effects, but they’re typically mild. They include digestive upset, nausea, skin rashes, infection, muscle pain, breast pain or enlargement, and spotting or bleeding outside of your menstrual cycle.

 

References:
1. Weidner G et al., "Actaea racemosa extract is superior to placebo for relief from moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms--A primary care based randomized controlled trial", Maturitas 83(2016): 294–301 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378512216302588?via%3Dihub#

2. Chang Y et al., "Efficacy and safety profile comparison between herbal medicine Actaea racemosa Linné related products and hormone therapy for managing climacteric syndrome", Complementary Therapies in Medicine 25(2017): 112–123. https://www..sciencedirect..com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229917300223?via%3Dihub#!

3. Stammwitz U et al., "Comparison Of An Extract Of Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga Racemosa) And Hormone Therapy For Relief Of Vasomotor Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial", Phytomedicine 18(2011): 776–783 https://www..sciencedirect..com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711311000898?via%3Dihub#!

4. Wu K et al., "The Efficacy of Black Cohosh Extract on Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged Women With Menopause Syndrome", Gynecological Endocrinology 34(2018): 496–498

5. Nappi RE et al., "Treatment of Moderate to Severe Vasomotor Symptoms With Cimicifuga Racemosa In Peri And Postmenopausal Women Results Of Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trials Over 3 Months ", BMC Complementary And Alternative Medicine 10(2010): 46

6. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/BlackCohosh-HealthProfessional/