As usual I am feeling confused. But this time it’s not just because of the muddled state that I often get into with menopause; its because I am being bombarded with information that I as a layperson find hard to decipher. As they say, just when you thought it was safe to go into the water…….As I am sure you know, black cohosh is a herbal remedy available around the world for the treatment of the symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes. It is actually a member of the buttercup family, (known scientifically as Actaea racemosa) and is native to North America.
Black cohosh is often recommended on menopause sites and in books as a natural way of combating the symptoms of menopause. However as usual when it comes to medications that might actually help women when they go through menopause there is controversy about its use. Whether it is HRT or black cohosh, look hard enough and you will find scary stories about possible side effects from use. Where does this leave the poor sweaty, hot women just looking for some relief? Confused is where!
Today our national newspaper today carried a report from the Medical Journal of Australia about the use of black cohosh to treat menopausal symptoms. It stated that the report showed that there was evidence of liver failure associated with the use of black cohosh, with eight reports of hepatotoxicity in patients associated with black cohosh being published over the last decade, with six requiring liver transplants. Apparently none of the patients had a clinical history making liver damage a possibility through other causes, with none showing any signs of excessive alcohol intake, injecting drug use, prior blood transfusions, a family history of liver disease, or a past history of liver disease. Scary stuff.
But then if you look further you get reports refuting this suggestion of a connection between the herb and liver damage. In fact the The National Herbalists Association of Australia web site seems to imply it is a big conspiracy trying to prevent women from getting access to a safe, effective and naural alternatives to the traditional methods used to relieve menopausal symptoms. Now that I find a bit hard to believe. I am not into conspiracy theories! They say that black cohosh has been administered to many women in clinical studies during the last 40 years, and no association has been found!
So where does that leave us, the poor consumer? As I said earlier- confused and worried! Who is right? Who should I believe? Is black cohosh safe or not? Should I take HRT? I am sure I am not the only menopausal women facing this dilemma. And they say life was meant to be easy!
