Introduced in Germany in the early 1950s, black cohosh is available as an alcohol extract and as a 20-milligram capsule of standarized extract. The alcohol extract is consumed by drinking 15 to 30 drops of it in a cup of warm water three times a day. Consequently, American women find black cohosh capsules more appealing than the alcohol extract. The capsules, with their regular dosage of two daily, should be taken only for six months. None of the studies done in Germany on the capsules has lasted longer than six months, so no one knows what could happen if the capsules were used longer.
Soy reduces hot flashes because it is a source of compounds called phytoestrogens.
Future of alternative medicine The Institute for Alternative Futures, which is a think tank in Alexandria, Va, predicted in one of its 1998 publications that at least two-thirds of Americans will be using complementary and alternative therapies by the year 2010. The institute also predicted that complementary and alternative approaches will be increasingly integrated into conventional medicine and that they will displace a number of conventional medicine therapies. As women use more complementary and alternative therapies, it will become increasingly important that they inform their primary care physicians of all the therapies they are using and that they allow their primary care physicians to coordinate their overall care. The use of complementary and alternative medicine is a valid part of women's healthcare, and it will continue to grow in importance, scope and influence. AOA Members, please e-mail the Member Service Center .