Black Cohash- shocking news!

The popular herbal supplement black cohosh is no better than a placebo at relieving hot flashes and night sweats in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
That finding from a major study may come as bad news to American women who have been looking for ways to ease menopausal symptoms ever since 2002 research linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to a higher risk for breast cancer.
"We were hopeful that black cohosh would prove to be effective for menopause symptoms because options are fairly limited," said the study's lead authoe, Katherine M. Newton of the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, Wash. "Finding a safe and effective alternative to hormone therapy would have been a tremendous benefit to women," she added.
According to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), black cohosh is made from the roots and stems of a flowering plant also known as black snakeroot or bugbane.
The latest findings, published in the Dec. 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, came from the Herbal Alternatives (HALT) for Menopause Study, a 12-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 351 women ages 45-55 were randomly assigned to one of five interventions: black cohosh; a multi-botanical supplement containing black cohosh and several other herbs; a multi-botanical supplement plus dietary counseling to increase soy consumption; HRT consisting of estrogen with or without progesterone, or a placebo.
Of the five interventions, only hormone replacement therapy effectively reduced menopausal symptoms -- by an average of four symptoms per day -- compared to placebo, the team reported. The other interventions only reduced symptoms by an average of about half a symptom per day.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and NCCAM.