|
|
Article: Is black cohosh beneficial for osteoporosis?(Phytotherapy Review & Commentary)
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine
- Article date:
- June 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
As has been reported in previous columns, there has been considerable debate concerning the mode of action of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, synonym Cimicifuga racemosa) in menopausal patients, specifically whether it acts via estrogenic effects or has some other entirely different activity. One proposed view is that black cohosh acts like a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which may exert estrogenic effects in some tissues but not in others. In this context, it is interesting to examine some of the recent findings concerning the value, if any, of black cohosh for maintaining bone density.
Of most relevance is a three-month clinical study published in ...