Black Cohosh for Menopause

Women seek out black cohosh for menopause because it is an herbal remedy that is often used in hopes of helping to relieve the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes.

It is generally found in supplement form at health food stores. A relative of the buttercup, black cohosh is also known by the names bugwort, black snakeroot, bugbane, rattletop, rattleroot, rattleweed and macrytos.

A balanced supplement for the menopause years of a woman's life is the Female Rejuvenator by Xtend-Life products. We have heard good things about it from women who used it.

Black cohosh grows in the United States and has long been used by generations of women in hopes of relieving symptoms such as hot flashes, which can be troublesome during menopause. The reason it is used for this purpose is thought to be that it might mimic some of the roles typically covered by estrogen before menopause.

Some plants that are thought to have estrogenic-like effects on the body include soy milk, flax seed oil, and black cohosh.

And while this estrogen-like effect might be desired during menopause, it is absolutely not desired during pregnancy, so every pregnant woman should carefully avoid these substances.

What Does it Do?

While it is not a medicine for hot flashes and other symptoms associated with the lack of estrogen and progesterone in the body, black cohosh is simply a popular herbal remedy believed to possibly help reduce these bothersome discomforts by stimulating some of the same functions that estrogen performed when it was available in higher levels in your body.

Some women claim that their problems of hot flashes, irregular periods and vaginal dryness were reduced by this supplement and were made much easier to deal with. However, medical studies are required before any health claims can be made for any supplement.

Why do Some Women Prefer it Over HRT?

If you do a search for information about black cohosh in relation to menopause, you are likely to see some results that support its use - and other results which warn it is less effective than the hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) that many women have begin to resort to in the last few decades.

Some women worry that hormone replacement therapy side effects might include causing the body?s hormonal balance to go out of balance and maybe even increase the risk of reproductive cancers. Your doctor can tell you more about HRT pros and cons.

Black Cohosh on the other hand is a mild herb that has been regularly and consistently used in many parts of the world for generations in hopes of reducing menopause discomforts - without the worry of the same potential negative side effects that HRT might cause.

While an herb is never a substitute for medical care, some women believe the supplement has helped improve their mild depression, anxiety, hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, mood swings and many other symptoms of menopause. You might have talked with friends who have been using the supplement for many years and most often without any problems.

Does it really have an effect or is it possibly a placebo effect? Only further medical studies can tell us for sure.

Precautions and Side Effects

It is always best to talk with your doctor before taking any supplement. Your doctor can help to establish what dosage of the supplement could be tried in hopes of helping your menopause symptoms. This is especially true if you are taking any other medications or supplements that could have interactions with the herbal medicine when combined.

If you don?t feel you can have this discussion with your regular doctor, you should seek out the advice of another doctor you feel more relaxed talking over these things with.

This point in your life requires quality medical attention and a feeling of safety. You should never feel uncomfortable bringing up menopause issues with your doctor as many are likely to come up during this time of your life regarding supplements and your gynecological health.

Overall there are not a lot of known side effects for women who take black cohosh. However, women with liver problems should avoid it, or else be monitored by a doctor during the course of taking it due to some concern that it could possibly be toxic for those with weakened liver function.

If your doctor suggests avoiding it for any reason, follow the doctor's advice and look for a healthy alternative instead.

One well regarded supplement for the menopause years of a woman's life is the Female Rejuvenator by Xtend-Life products. We have heard good things about it from women who used it.