Saturday Quack – Black Cohosh Ineffective

The December issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine carries an article describing a clinical trial of the herb black cohosh as a remedy for hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. The study was called the Herbal Alternatives for Menopause Trial (HALT) and was conducted in Settle.

There were 350 women aged 45 to 55 assigned to one of five treatment groups:

Black cohosh – 160 mg daily

Multibotanical supplement – black cohosh (200 mg), alfalfa, boron, chaste tree, dong quai, false unicorn, licorice, oats, pomegranate, and Siberian ginseng.

Multibotanical supplement plus dietary advice on increasing soy consumption

Hormone replacement therapy

Placebo

The participants were asked at 3, 6, and 12 months to rate their menopause symptoms. There were no significant differences between any of the herbal interventions and placebo, except for a worsening of symptoms at 12 months in the multibotanical supplement plus soy. On the other hand, women on hormone replacement therapy had an average of 4 fewer hot flashes a day than those on placebo at all three measuring points.

This study more or less puts the kibosh on black cohosh (and other herbal cures for menopause). It was partially funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.