Is Black cohosh safe?
"Evidence from in vitro, animal and clinical studies suggests that black cohosh is a safe herbal therapy for menopausal women if taken for a limited period (ref 2).
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Evidence from in vitro, animal and clinical studies suggests that black cohosh is a safe herbal therapy for menopausal women if taken for a limited period (ref 2). Animal studies showed no evidence of oestrogenic effects on oestrogen-sensitive hormone levels, or changes in uterine weight or vaginal cell histology, and therefore, support the safety of use of black cohosh in oestrogen-sensitive cancer patients or in women for whom HRT is contraindicated (ref 10). Clinical trials identified in this review did not report significant adverse effects in women with breast cancer using black cohosh extracts for 2 to 12 months (ref 13, 14). The minor adverse effects observed in clinical trials include nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, mastalgia, and weight gain (ref 20). No herb and drug interactions have been reported (ref 20). However, black cohosh was found to alter the response to the agents commonly used to treat breast cancer in an experiment report using mouse breast cancer line (ref 21). In this experiment, the black cohosh extracts increased the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin and docetaxel and decreased the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. Pre-existing liver damage is a contraindication.
References
2. Mahady GB, Fabricant D, Chadwick LR, Dietz B. Black cohosh: an alternative therapy for menopause? Nutr Clin Care 2002;5(6):283-9
10. Piersen CE. Phytoestrogens in botanical dietary supplements: implications for cancer. Integrative Cancer Therapies 2003; 2(2): 120-38.
13. Jacobson JS, Troxel AB, Evans J, Klaus L, Vahdat L, Kinne D, et al. Randomised trial of black cohosh for the treatment of hot flushes among women with a history of breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19(10):2739-45.
14. Hernandez Munoz G, Pluchino S. Cimicifuga racemosa for the treatment of hot flushes in women surviving breast cancer. Maturitas 2003; 44(Suppl 1):S59-65.
20. Huntley A. The safety of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa). Expert Opin Drug Saf 2004; 3(6):615-23.
21. Rockwell S, Liu Y, Higgins SA. Alteration of the effects of cancer therapy agents on breast cancer cells by the herbal medicine black cohosh. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2005; 90(3):233-9.
