Black Cohosh for Hot Flashes

Black cohosh for hot flashes is a controversial remedy, just like any other herbs for hot flashes such as Dong Quai, red clover, and evening primrose oil. The controversy mainly focuses on its side effects and questionable efficacy. However, the controversy doesn’t stop people from taking its root and make it a popular home remedies for hot flashes since hundreds years ago. No matter whether or not you are a believer of herbal remedies for hot flashes, it always benefits you to knowing more information about it, right?

Hot flashes causes and symptoms

Hot flashes and night sweats often occur in menopausal women. The cause is mainly because of the sudden expansion of facial blood vessels, which leads to blood concentration and follows other symptoms such as increased peripheral skin temperature, sweating, and rapid heartbeat and so on. About half of menopausal women ever experienced hot flashes, which tends to occur once a day. And 20% of others are even worse, several times a day or more. The even worse part is that hot flashes usually attack in the middle of the night, which results in insomnia in most people suffering this disease.

Hot flashes treatment

When it comes to the treatment, hormone drugs are one of the preferred hot flash remedies. And very often hormone drugs can bring an instant hot flash relief. However, the side effects of hormone drugs, sometimes even cause cancer, make most of people stay away from them. In order to prevent these kinds of side effects, estrogen plus progestin are being used very often clinically. But due to individual differences, the disadvantage this combination is that it is hard to master the dosage. Therefore, currently scientists in pharmaceutical industry are searching an alternative health care product that can stimulate the secretion of estrogen and progesterone not only according to the body’s own needs but also resulting in safe and effective hormonal effects to help for hot flashes.

Black cohosh for hot flashes

There are many plants in nature containing substance that has the similar chemical structure as estrogen. These herbs include Dong Quai, red clover, evening primrose oil, and soy isoflavones etc. After ingestion of these herbs, the body will work the same physiological activity by estrogen but without the risk of cancer.

The medicinal parts are its stems and roots, which contains phytoestrogens ingredients. Main black cohosh benefits are to ease menstrual pain, stop hot flashes after menopause or perimenopause, and help reduce osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

According to the 1999 report of the International meeting on menopause, taking black cohosh herb can reduce 56% ~ 75% of the hot flashes frequency. Another article, published in the Journal of the European study of menopause, also pointed out after the use of black cohosh extract a daily dose of thirty milligrams, all thirty women were found that the frequency of hot flashes were 48% lower after sixteen weeks later. This also shows that it can effectively improve the menopause hot flashes.

Apart from abstract, today you can buy black cohosh available in the drug store and consume it in other forms like black cohosh tablets, tea, capsules, and tincture. It is convenient and you don’t have to grow black cohosh plant in you backyard and cook it by yourselves any more.

Black cohosh side effects

Like other herbs, the common side effects like headaches, dizziness and nausea might occur after digestion. And according to some users’ feedback, it may lead to mild gastrointestinal discomfort. But generally it won’t cause any severe consequences.

In addition, the U.S. College of Obstetricians pointed out that, for women who taking supplements containing this kind of ingredient, the recommended daily black cohosh dosage should not exceed 20 milligrams, preferably not more than 6 months continuous use. This is because until now medical profession is unable to determine the safety of its long-term use.

Since both black cohosh side efffects and benefits are there in hot flashes treatment, you have to be careful to use it

In addition, women in pregnancy or suffering from breast cancer should stay away from using the remedy of black cohosh for hot flashes.