What Black Cohosh Can (and Can’t) Do for Menopause Symptoms

If menopause has you all hot and bothered, you may have heard that taking black cohosh can help reduce vasomotor symptoms (more commonly known as hot flashes and night sweats). This herbal supplement has been used since ancient times, but only recently has it come to be known as a possible combatant of this common and uncomfortable symptom of menopause.

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Integrative medicine specialist Yufang Lin, MD, explains what black cohosh is, how it’s used and what it can — and can’t — do for your menopause.

What is black cohosh?

Black cohosh (scientifically known as actaea racemosa or cimicifuga racemosa) is a flowering perennial plant with fragrant white blooms on a stem, forming a spike-like structure of up to 5 feet tall. A member of the buttercup family, it grows in the woodlands of the eastern United States and Canada.

Black cohosh goes by other names, too:

Black bugbane.Black snakeroot.Fairy candle.Macrotys.Rattleweed.Rheumatism weed.

The benefits of black cohosh

Studies show that black cohosh binds to your body’s opioid receptors, giving it a painkilling effect. Today, it’s sometimes used to reduce the muscle aches and body pains associated with menopause, perimenopause and postmenopause.

But while you may think it’s a new trend in wellness circles, it has actually been used since ancient times by healers and medical practitioners all over the world.

“In recent years, black cohosh has been touted as a treatment for hot flashes, but this is not the way it has been traditionally used,” Dr. Lin says. “Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western herbal tradition have long used black cohosh to reduce pain and calm the nervous system.”

Traditional Chinese medicine has turned to black cohosh to:

Reduce musculoskeletal pain and spasms.Support liver function.Support the nervous system.Tonify the kidney and uterus.