| Medicinal Properties: Colonial
settlers soon learned what Native Americans long knew: Black cohosh is an herbal
panacea for all sorts of female-specific health problems. One of the isoflavones
in the plant's roots acts physiologically like a weak estrogen, making it
potentially beneficial for everything from childbirth and menstrual cramps to
menopause and premenstrual tension. In one study, the plant relieved menopause
related vaginal dryness just as well as pharmaceutical estrogen. In another
experiment, black cohosh matched prescription strength hormone replacement in
reducing luteinizing hormone, which increases as natural estrogen declines,
bringing on typical menopausal symptoms.
Findings form a few studies indicate that the Black Cohosh herb
has estrogen like effects that may help control menopause and related health
issues.
Black cohosh offsets a decline in estrogen by providing powerful plant
compounds called phytoestrogens that mimic the hormone's effects. These
phytoestrogens bind to hormone receptors in the uterus, breast, and other parts
of the body. As a result, black cohosh is reported to lessen hot flashes,
vaginal dryness, headaches, dizziness, depressed mood, and other hormone-related
symptoms. This makes the herb useful as a substitute for estrogen replacement
therapy, especially when compared with synthetic hormone replacement therapies.
Black cohosh does not appear to simulate the growth of breast tumors, unlike
conventional hormone replacement therapy, which has been linked to a slightly
increased risk of breast cancer when taken over the long term. Some researchers
even think the phytoestrogens might prevent tumor growth by keeping the body's
own estrogen from stimulating breast cells. Black cohosh compounds likewise
regulate estrogen production before menopause, and are especially useful for
treating blurred vision and migraine associated with PMS. It has antispasmodic
properties that may lessen menstrual discomforts. Black cohosh may increase the
blood flow to the uterus, reducing the intensity of particularly painful cramps.
Fibroids - (uterine myomas). Black cohosh contains at least three classes of
compounds that act to regulate hormone use. First, these compounds bind to
receptor sites in the reproductive tract, the brain, and other organs that
otherwise would receive estrogen. This reduces overall estrogen activity when
estrogen levels are high. Second, these substances block the formation of
luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulates a surge of estrogen production in the
first fourteen days of the menstrual cyde. This stimulates estrogen production
when estrogen levels are low. The dual action of the herb allows it to stabilize
the body's estrogen usage.
Infertility - One of the chemical constituents of black cohosh, ferulic acid,
increases the motility and viability of sperm cells by protecting their cell
walls from oxidation by compounds released from environmental toxins.
Prostate Cancer - the herb maybe helpful for estrogen hormonal effects for
the prevention or the treatment of prostate cancer.
Safety precautions:
Some people report an upset stomach or other gastric complaints. Be careful if
you take black cohosh for longer than 6 months. Prolonged use could cause
abdominal pain, dizziness, diarrhea, headache, joint pain, nausea, uterine
irritation, and vomiting. Women should not take it while pregnant or nursing a
newborn. Overdoses might cause premature birth, nausea, and headache. Normal
dosages are between 50 and 1500mg a day.
Black Cohosh is also known as:
Black Snakeroot, Bugbane, Cimicifuga racemosa,
Squawroot
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