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Black Cohosh has few side effects when recommended doses are taken. Overdosing black cohosh may result in headaches, sweating or dizziness.
Persons with hormonal and hormone sensitive conditions should consult their physician before taking Black Cohosh. There is controversy as to whether Black Cohosh is similar to the hormone estrogen, although recent studies suggest that it may not be. It is argued that black cohosh possesses the same beneficial effects that estrogen is believed to have on bone mass.
Persons with liver disease should consult with their healthcare professional before taking Black Cohosh.
Adverse side effects of taking black cohosh are infrequent, but include headaches, dizziness, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea and vomiting. However, some studies are now indicating more serious adverse effects for those with personal or family histories of breast cancer and for those that are pregnant.
For those that either currently have breast cancer or even have it in their family history, some studies have shown this herbal supplement as dangerous. For those undergoing chemotherapy, this drug has been shown to increase the intensity of the chemotherapy in some cases, making it very dangerous to the patient.
In general, it is unknown how black cohosh affects the body, but many believe it has to do with estrogen levels or the ability of this herb to mimic estrogen levels. This is the hypothesis for why black cohosh may have negative effects on estrogen based cancers such as breast and endometrial.
It is not recommended that pregnant women take black cohosh for a few reasons. First, this herb has shown in some cases to terminate early pregnancies. Second, this herb can actually help to induce labor during the end of pregnancy. Third, there have been few studies done on the effects of the supplement during the pregnancy.
Liver damage has been reported in a number of individuals using this supplement, although it has not been proven that it is a direct result from taking black cohosh. Another word of warning is that certain studies indicate that taking this supplement can reduce bone mass, leading to osteoporosis. This is certainly something to take into consideration, especially if black cohosh is being taken to alleviate menopausal symptoms as osteoporosis is a big concern for women during that time period.
As this herb is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is not required to approve it through research and clinical studies. Unfortunately, this means that manufacturers do not have to make this supplement under a certain consistency that has been proven to be safe.
In laymen’s terms, this means that the amount of the herb contained in the supplement will vary as well as the other substances that are added. In Germany, there is a regulatory group for herbs called Commission E. This group has officially approved this supplement to prevent menopausal symptoms. However, this regulatory group has different standards and studies it requires that differs greatly from the FDA.
This supplement should not be taken in conjunction with certain drugs because of its different effects. It should not be taken with aspirins or other blood-thinning drugs because of its theorized effect of increasing bleeding. It also should not be taken with other hormone drugs (i.e. birth control) as it potentially contains estrogen-like substances. Finally, because black cohosh may lower blood pressure it should not be taken with drugs that alter blood pressure. With all this said, the studies for black cohosh and all of these prescription drugs have also not been conclusively proven. These warnings should simply be taken into consideration when deciding whether to take this herbal supplement.
