What Is Black Cohosh?
Black Cohosh, also called Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga racemosa, is a tall forest plant from eastern regions of North America. Some of the folklore or common names for the black cohosh herb include bugwort, rattle weed, squawroot, bugbane, and black snakeroot. In ancient medicine it was used as an effective treatment for a variety of problems. In slightly more recent times, black cohosh herbs have been used by American Indians for hundreds of years as a snake bite treatment, for kidney problems, malaria, and sore throat. Furthermore, the Indians noted that the herb was useful for helping symptoms of menopause such as menstrual cramps, irritability, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. Black Cohosh herb has also been touted as a very effective treatment solution for menopausal hot flashes.
Black cohosh is still used today for many of these menopausal symptoms due to it's widely reported effectiveness.
Black Cohosh Menopause Symptoms
The obvious benefits of black cohosh supplements on improving the symptoms of menopause was shown in a clinical study conducted on 120 females. When compared to the prescription drug Prozac, black cohosh (or Cimicifuga racemosa or Actaea racemosa) was found to be more effective when it came to both night sweats and hot flashes. Many women who cannot take hormone replacement therapy are now considering black cohosh supplements as a natural alternative to drug therapy. The variety of symptoms black cohosh has been purported to improve include: vaginal dryness, sleep problems, headaches, hot flashes, mood swings, heart palpitations, and night sweats.
According to another leading authority on menopause, the University of Maryland Medical Center indicates that menopause treatment is not always needed per se. However, you may want to, and it may be of benefit to, treat menopause symptoms and lower your risk of long term health problems including osteoporosis and heart disease.
Black Cohosh Dosage
Some recent studies indicate that combining Black cohosh with St. John's wort could be more effective than Black cohosh alone in treating menopausal symptoms. It is one more reason that black cohosh menopause treatment should be discussed about with a physician to tailor the best black cohosh treatment on a case by case basis.
Black cohosh supplements for menopause are usually recommended by gynecologists and obstetricians for a duration of six months or less. The actual dosage of black cohosh varies from around 40 to 80 milligrams (mg) daily. Furthermore, this is an easily obtainable over the counter supplement which is also available in tinctures, teas, or rarely as a drink.
Black cohosh menopause is a web site designed and dedicated solely to providing you with valuable, high quality information about the use, benefits, misuse, and side effects of the black cohosh herb. Continue informing yourself by reading about the benefits of black cohosh.