Black cohosh

Black cohosh/Nutrient Depletion:

  • LipidsLipids: In human research, there is controversy about whether black cohosh alters serum lipid levels (159; 111). In postmenopausal women, three months of therapy with Cimicifuga racemosa was reported to be well tolerated and did not show a change in lipid profile (100). In a clinical trial of black cohosh, changes in total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol were lacking in postmenopausal women, but an increase in triglycerides was reported (98). In women, Cimicifuga racemosa caused a statistically significant increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and a statistically significant decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from baseline (107).