Dear Reader

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This issue of Natural News includes an article on the natural approach to the menopause and as there seems to be a lot of confusion around this subject, I wanted to clarify one particular issue. I have always used the herb black cohosh in my clinics with great success for the menopausal hot flushes and night sweats so it came as a surprise to know that in the future all black cohosh products will have to carry a warning saying that the herb may cause rare but serious liver disorders.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) report cites 14 cases of women with liver problems in the UK that were “possibly” or “probably” linked to black cohosh. When the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) reviewed all the evidence worldwide, it concluded that, in fact, there were only two “possible” (one in the UK) and two “probable” cases and that it is not clear whether black cohosh caused the problem. These four cases are such a small number when weighed up against an estimated 9 million treatment days of black cohosh used each year.

The National Institute of Health in the US believes there’s no case to answer and their website states that black cohosh has few side effects and that ‘liver damage has been reported in a few individuals using black cohosh, but millions of people have taken the herb without apparent adverse health effects. There is no scientific evidence to show that the herb causes liver damage.’

Also worryingly, researchers have found that some black cohosh products on the market contain an Asian species of black cohosh which is cheaper than the North American black cohosh. Compared with the species cultivated in North America, the Asian variety has different chemical properties and may have different effects on the body.

So I would still recommend that you use black cohosh as the herb of choice for the menopause symptoms but make sure that you buy from reputable companies so that you know you are getting the best quality herb and preferably buy organic.

Kind regards,

Marilyn Glenville PhD

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 1:09 pm and is filed under Letters from Marilyn, Menopause, Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.