Black Cohosh: All the Health Benefits
October 25, 2021
Black cohosh (Actaea racemose) , also known as black bugbane, is a flowering plant native to North America. This herb has a long history in Native American medicine, and today is used as a popular women’s health supplement that helps with menopause symptoms, fertility, and hormonal balance.
What Is Black Cohosh Used For?
Black cohosh is most commonly used for its beneficial effects on women’s hormonal health, though it has other medicinal uses as well, such as enhancing immunity, supporting mental health and helping with weight loss. Black cohosh benefits women’s hormonal health because it functions as a phytoestrogen, a plant-based compound that mimics the action of the hormone estrogen. We use black cohosh as one of the primary ingredients in our Womens Hormone Tonic, an herbal supplement for women that helps to restore hormonal balance and relieve symptoms associated with menopause and PMS.
What are the Health Benefits of Black Cohosh?
Black cohosh has a number of potential benefits — most of them related to women’s health or hormonal balance. However, black cohosh also appears to be beneficial for immune system health and Native American’s have traditionally used it for treating colds, cough, rheumatism, kidney disorders, malaria, and menstrual disorders.
Black Cohosh is Used for Women’s Hormonal Health
Black cohosh is most commonly associated with its beneficial effect on women’s hormonal health. It has been used for this purpose traditionally in Native American medicine, and there has been a lot of scientific research that supports this traditional use.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal disorder that can cause infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone levels. This can affect women's ability to become pregnant.
Supplementing with black cohosh may increase a woman with polycystic ovarian sydrome’s chances of getting pregnant. Supplementing with black cohosh may also help regulate your cycles if you have polycystic ovarian syndrome. This is because black cohosh root seems to have some effects similar to the female hormone, estrogen.
Black cohosh also appears to have benefit for women experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and painful menstruation. It has a long traditional use for this purpose, as well as numerous anecdotal reports, but more scientific research is still needed to verify this use for black cohosh.
Additionally, black cohosh has been used to help regulate the menstrual cycle.
We use black cohosh as a primary ingredient in our Happy Hormones Tonic, a unique formula that contains several medicinal herbs renowned for their ability to facilitate hormonal balance and women’s hormonal health.
Black Cohosh is Used for Menopause and Menopause Symptoms
One of the most widely known uses for black cohosh is its ability to alleviate menopause symptoms. There is also a lot of compelling evidence that supports this use. One study found that women supplementing with 20 mg of black cohosh daily for 8 weeks had significantly fewer and less severe hot flashes than before they started the supplement. Other studies on women have confirmed similar findings, showing that black cohosh appears to have promising use for alleviating menopause symptoms.
Black Cohosh is Used for Fertility
Research on black cohosh indicates that it may improve fertility, especially when used with the drug Clomid (clomiphene citrate), a medication used to treat infertility in women. However, more research is still needed to verify black cohosh’s effectiveness for treating infertility.
Black Cohosh is Used for Immune System Health
Black cohosh has been used traditionally to treat coughs, colds, and to enhance immunity overall. Research on the bioactive constituents of this herb show that it may indeed offer immune system support. Black cohosh contains numerous alkaloids, important chemical compounds that exhibit antiproliferation, antibacterial, antiviral, and insecticidal effects.
Black cohosh also contains flavonoids, phytonutrients that have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects and help to protect your cells from oxidative damage that can lead to disease. Flavanoids are dietary antioxidants that can prevent the development of numerous diseases, as they help to reduce the effect of harmful free radicals.
Black Cohosh May Help with Weight Loss
It is common for menopausal women to be at an increased risk of unwanted weight gain. This is because their estrogen levels naturally decrease. Black cohosh may have a beneficial effect on weight management in menopausal women because of its estrogen mimicking properties.
What are the Active Compounds in Black Cohosh?
The medicinal properties of plants are attributed to the bioactive compounds found within them. The primary active constituent of the black cohosh root is believed to be the terpene glycoside fraction, including actein and cimifugoside. The rhizome also contains other potentially biologically active substances, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins.
Is Black Cohosh Safe?
Black cohosh has been used safely by Native Americans for centuries. However, there have been a few mild side effects reported by some, including digestive upset, nausea, skin rashes, infection, muscle pain, breast pain or spotting or bleeding outside of your menstrual cycle.
Some reports have also linked high doses of black cohosh to liver damage, so if you have liver disease or are taking any other supplements or medications that may harm your liver it is recommended to avoid black cohosh. It is also recommended to always follow the recommended dosage.
As with starting any new supplement, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor if it is the right choice for you. Additionally, there is not enough research to verify that black cohosh is safe for pregnant women, so it is recommended to avoid during pregnancy until more research can verify its safety.
Summary
Black cohosh is a medicinal plant native to North America that has been used extensively in Native American medicine, primarily for supporting women’s health issues. Native American medicine also uses black cohosh for treating colds, cough, rheumatism, kidney disorders, malaria, and menstrual disorders. Modern research has also shown that black cohosh may benefit women’s hormonal health.
Black cohosh benefits women’s hormonal health because it functions as a phytoestrogen, a plant-based compound that mimics the action of the hormone estrogen. Black cohosh also contains several chemicals that work on the immune system and might affect the body's defenses against diseases, as well as help the body to reduce inflammation.
We use black cohosh as one of the primary ingredients in our Happy Hormones tonic, an herbal supplement for women that helps to restore hormonal balance and relieve symptoms associated with menopause and PMS. The herbs in this formula work synergistically to help balance hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, provide PMS relief, and regulate and support the health of the endocrine system. Our master herbalist has formulated this product using only wildcrafted, organic, and biodynamically grown herbs, ensuring the highest quality and integrity that we can offer. We also do not use any toxic chemicals, fillers, or preservatives in any of our products.
Black cohosh is a great herb for supporting endocrine system health and hormonal balance in women. Hormones play a major role in our health, our mood, and in many areas of our life. Keeping your hormones in balance is a key part of leading a happy, healthy, and balanced life.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3684955/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29261886/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29619387/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19909590/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18413068/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24592984/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23347605/
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