Black Cohosh (Actaea/Cimicifuga racemosa): Review of the clinical data for safety and efficacy in menopausal symptoms

Treatments in Endocrinology

Volumn 4, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 177-184

  Mahady, Gail B ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA EXTRACT; CONJUGATED ESTROGEN; ESTRADIOL; ESTRIOL; FOLLITROPIN; FORMONONETIN; LUTEINIZING HORMONE; PROLACTIN; SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN; TAMOXIFEN;

AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS; BLOOD SAMPLING; BONE METABOLISM; BREAST CARCINOMA; CANCER RADIOTHERAPY; CANCER SURVIVAL; CIMICIFUGA; CLIMACTERIUM; CLINICAL FEATURE; DIZZINESS; DRUG EFFICACY; DRUG INFORMATION; DRUG SAFETY; DRUG SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM; ENDOMETRIUM HYPERPLASIA; FOLLITROPIN BLOOD LEVEL; HAMILTON SCALE; HEADACHE; HEART PALPITATION; HERBAL MEDICINE; HOT FLUSH; HUMAN; HYSTERECTOMY; INFORMATION RETRIEVAL; LIVER FAILURE; LIVER TOXICITY; LUTEINIZING HORMONE BLOOD LEVEL; MEDICAL ASSESSMENT; MENOPAUSAL SYNDROME; NAUSEA; NERVOUSNESS; NIGHT SWEAT; PARTIAL MASTECTOMY; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PROLACTIN BLOOD LEVEL; PSYCHOLOGIC ASSESSMENT; PUBLICATION; RATING SCALE; REVIEW; SURVIVAL RATE; VOMITING;

ADULT; ANIMALS; BREAST NEOPLASMS; CIMICIFUGA; COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES; FEMALE; HUMANS; LIVER DISEASES; MENOPAUSE; MIDDLE AGED; PHYTOTHERAPY; PLANT EXTRACTS; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS; TREATMENT OUTCOME;

EID: 23044490534     PISSN: 11756349     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2165/00024677-200504030-00006     Document Type: Review

References (43)

1. Houmard BS, Seifer DB. Predicting the onset of menopause. In: Seifer DB, Kennard EA, editors. Menopause, endocrinology and management. Totowa (NJ): Humana Press, 1999: 1-20
2. World Health Organization Scientific Group. WHO technical report: research on the menopause. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1981: 670
3. Brosage P. Hormone therapy: the woman's decision [letter]. Contemp Nurse Pract 1995; Suppl. 1: 3
4. Grodstein F, Stampler MJ, Colditz GA, et al. Postmenopausal hormone therapy and mortality. N Engl J Med 1997; 336: 1769-75
5. WHO Publications Office. WHO annual report 2001. Geneva: WHO Publications Office, 2003
6. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). PAHO database: country health profile. Guatemala: Pan American Health Organization, 2001
7. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). PAHO database: country health profile. Costa Rica: Pan American Health Organization, 1999
8. Hill K. The demography of menopause. Maturitas 1996; 23: 113-27
9. Genazzani AR, Gambacciani M on behalf of the International Menopause Society. Controversial issues in climacteric medicine cardiovascular disease and hor-mone replacement therapy. Climacteric 2000; 3: 233-40
10. Miller MM, Monjan AA, Buckholtz NS. Estrogen replacement therapy for the potential treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2001; 949: 223-34
11. Burkman RT, Collins JA, Greene RA. Current perspectives on benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001; 185: S13-23
12. Adams C, Cannell S. Women's beliefs about 'natural' hormones and natural hormone replacement therapy. Menopause 2001; 6: 433-40
13. Women's Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002; 288: 366-8
14. Chen CL, Weiss NS, Newcomb P, et al. Hormone replacement therapy in relation to breast cancer. JAMA 2002; 287: 734-41
15. Compton JA, Culham A, Jury SL. Reclassification of Actea to include Cimicifuga and Soulica (Ranunculaceae) phylogeny inferred from morphology, nrDNA, ITS and cpDNA trnl-F sequence variation. Taxon 1998; 47: 593-635
16. Mahady GB, Fong HHS, Farnsworth NR. Rhizoma Cimicifuga racemosae, WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants. Vol. II. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2002
17. Brinker F. Review of Macrotys (black cohosh). Eclectic Med J 1996; 2: 2-4
18. Foster S. Black cohosh: Cimicifuga racemosa: a literature review. Herbalgram 1999; 45: 35-49
19. Mahady GB, Fabricant D, Chadwick LR, et al. Black cohosh: an alternative therapy for menopause? Nutr Clin Care 2002; 5: 282-9
20. Daiber W. Klimakterische beschwerden: ohne hormone zum erfolg. Ärztliche Praxis 1983; 35: 1946-7
21. Düker EM, Kopanski L, Jarry H, et al. Effects of extracts from Cimicifuga racemosa on gonadotropin release in menopausal women and ovariectomized rats. Planta Med 1991; 57: 424-7
22. Lehmann-Willenbrock E, Riedel HH. Klinische und endokrinologische untersuchungen zur therapie ovarieller ausfallerscheinungen nach hysterektomie unter belassung der adnexe. Zentralblatt Gynäkologie 1988; 110: 611-8
23. Liske E, Hanggi W, Henneicke-von Zepelin HH, et al. Physiological investigation of a unique extract of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosae rhizome): a 6-month clinical study demonstrates no systemic estrogenic effect. J Women's Health Gender Based Med 2002; 11: 163-74
24. Pethö A. Klimakterische beschwerden: umstellung einer hormonbehandlung auf ein pflanzliches gynäkologikum möglich? Ärztliche Praxis 1987; 38: 1551-3
25. Stoll W. Phytopharmakon beeinflußt atrophisches vaginalepithel doppelblindversuch Cimicifuga vs. ostrogenpraparat. Therapeutikon 1987; 1: 7-15
26. Stolze H. Der andere weg, klimakterische beschwerden zu behandeln. Gyne 1982; 1: 14-6
27. Vorberg G. Therapie klimakterischer beschwerden. Zeitschrift für Allgemeinmedizin 1984; 60: 626-9
28. Warnecke G. Influencing menopausal symptoms with a phytotherapeutic agent. Med Welt 1985; 36: 871-4
29. Nesselhut T, Liske E. Pharmacological measures in postmenopausal women with an isopropanolic aqueous extract of Cimifuga racemosae rhizomae [abstract]. Menopause 1999; 6: 331
30. Jacobson JS, Troxel AB, Evans J, et al. Randomized trial of black cohosh for the treatment of hot flashes among women with a history of breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19: 2739-45
31. Wuttke W, Seidlova-Wuttke D, Gorkow C. The Cimicifuga preparation BNO 1055 vs conjugated estrogens in a double-blind placebo-controlled study: effects on menopause symptoms and bone markers. Maturitas 2003; 44 Suppl. 1: S67-77
32. Munoz GH, Pluchine S. Cimicifuga racemosa for the treatment of hot flashes in women surviving breast cancer. Maturitas 2003; 44 Suppl. 1: S59-65
33. Whiting PW, Clouston A, Kerlin P. Black cohosh and other herbal remedies associated with acute hepatitis. Med J Aust 2002; 177: 440-3
34. Lontos S, Jones RM, Angus PW, et al. Acute liver failure associated with the use of herbal preparations containing black cohosh. Med J Aust 2003; 179: 390-1
35. Cohen SM, O'Connor AM, Hart J, et al. Autoimmune hepatitis associated with the use of black cohosh: a case study. Menopause 2004; 11: 575-7
36. Thomsen M, Vitetta L, Sali A, et al. Acute liver failure associated with the use of herbal preparations containing black cohosh. Med J Aust 2004; 180: 598-600
37. Johnson BM, van Breemen RB. In vitro formation of quinoid metabolites of the dietary supplement Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh). Chem Res Toxicol 2003; 16: 838-46
38. Mahady GB. Is black cohosh estrogenic? Nutr Rev 2003; 61: 183-6
39. Liu J, Burdette JE, Xu H, et al. Evaluation of estrogenic activity of plant extracts for the potential treatment of menopausal symptoms. J Agric Food Chem 2001; 49: 2472-9
40. Freudenstein J, Bodinet C. Influence of an isopropanolic aqueous extract of Cimicifuga racemosae rhizoma on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2002; 76: 1-10
41. Lupu R, Mehmi I, Atlas E, et al. Black cohosh, a menopausal remedy, does not have estrogenic activity and does not promote breast cancer cell growth. Int J Oncol 2003; 23: 1407-12
42. Freudenstein J, Dasenbrock C, Nisslein T. Lack of promotion of estrogen-dependent mammary gland tumors in vivo by an isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa extract. Cancer Res 2002; 62: 3448-52
43. Nisslein T, Freudenstein J. Concomitant administration of an isopropanolic extract of black cohosh and tamoxifen in the in vivo tumor model of implanted RUCA-I rat endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. Toxicol Lett 2004; 150: 271-5