More than two centuries ago, Native Americans discovered that the root of the black cohosh plant helped relieve many female problems, including menstrual cramps and hot flashes, headaches, irritability, and other signs of menopause. The discomfort caused by menopause is typically treated with a synthetic form of the female sex hormone estrogen. Estrogen has eased millions of women through this life change, yet it often causes side effects. The most serious is an increased risk of breast cancer.
Many women fear breast cancer so much that they suffer through meno-pause without treatment.
A small but growing number of women who want relief without estrogen's side effects are discovering the benefits of black cohosh. The herbal therapy provides the same relief estrogen does, with no known serious side effects. Plant Description Black cohosh is made from the roots of a member of the buttercup family. The tall, flowering plant grows in forests of the United States and Canada. Black cohosh also is called black snakeroot, bugbane, bugwort, and squawroot.