Black cohosh may someday be prescribed to reduce hot flashes. A recent study suggests the herb seems to work as a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapy. HRT, which has recently been linked to an increased risk of diseases such as breast cancer and stroke, is thought to be dangerous because it targets estrogen receptors. Cohosh, by contrast, interacts with serotonin receptors, part of the brain's thermostat.
"This alternative could work," says author Judy Bolton, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In her tests with rats, black cohosh did not interact with estrogen receptors. Instead, it targeted the part of the brain that regulates body temperature: serotonin receptors. Antidepressants--which are believed to reduce to hot flashes--also influence this system.
