It’s a common herb that more than 10 million American women use to ease
menopausal symptoms. Its benefits are touted all over the Internet. Yet, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved it as a drug, and researchers are unsure of its effects on the human body. A
University of Missouri-Columbia researcher is hoping to change that.
“There is a lot that is unknown about black cohosh,” said Ed Sauter, associate professor of surgery. “One of the main problems is that what is available at the store is very unreliable. We tested a number of capsules and found that the concentration of chemical components differed from capsule to capsule. We need to research this question and determine if black cohosh can improve the quality of people’s lives as some claim.”
In order to demonstrate if black cohosh has any effect, researchers need to know the pathway that the herbal supplement enters the body and how it works once inside. Part of that pathway may be through estrogen receptors or other chemical mechanisms, but researchers are not yet sure.
“We’re very concerned that people are treating themselves without knowing what they are putting into their bodies,” Sauter said. “We know that a variety of plants, or botanicals, can provide substances that improve the quality of life. Many of our FDA regulated drugs are from various plants. However, research into the effects of this supplement, positive or negative, is limited, and we should understand how it works in our bodies before we recommend it.”