Black Cohosh Safety

Black cohosh, a menopausal remedy, does not have estrogenic activity and does not promote breast cancer cell growth.

Article Summary:

With the increase in popularity of black cohosh as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy for the relief of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, it is important to note that long-term therapy possibly has potential toxicity and carcinogenicity.

This study's focus was to assess the estrogenic activity of black cohosh to find out if it is safe for women with a high risk of developing breast cancer or for those who already have breast cancer. The study found that black cohost extracts did not demonstrate estrogenic activity in any of the assay systems examined, such as RNAse, Ishikawa cell system, and colony formation of ER-expressing breast cancer cells.

These results demonstrate an important and encouraging step in the assessment of black

cohosh safety in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Authors:

Lupu R, Mehmi I, Atlas E, Tsai MS, Pisha E, Oketch-Rabah HA, Nuntanakorn P, Kennelly EJ, Kronenberg F.

Institution:

Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Institute, Northwestern Medical School, Department of Medicine, Evanston, IL 60201, USA. r-lupu@northwestern.edu

Country of Publication:

USA

Source:

Oncol. 2003 Nov;23(5):1 407-12

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