Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa): an annotated bibliography

Original publisher: Asheville, NC : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station ; [Washington, DC : U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, 2006] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)132689309 Subject: Bugbane -- Bibliography. Excerpt: ... estrogen ). Several studies have shown that black cohosh does not cause the proliferation of cancer cells ( Amato and others 2001, Freudenstein and others 2002, Lupu and others 2002, Morris and others 2003 ), and may even possess cancer-fighting properties ( Dixon-Shanies and Shaikh 1999, Dog and others 2003, Hostanska and others 2004 ). Einbond and others ( 2004 ) found that ethyl acetate extracts and the triterpene glycoside actein, both active constituents in black cohosh, demonstrated significant inhibition of both estrogen-positive and estrogen-negative tumors. Studies on drug interactions have shown that black cohosh can increase the effectiveness of some anticancer drugs ( Freudenstein and Bodinet 1999, Muñoz and Pluchino 2003, Nesselhut and others 1993, Rockwell and others 2003 ), but can also increase the toxicity of others ( Rockwell and others 2003 ). One study conducted on female mice found that groups treated with black cohosh had significantly higher rates of tumor metastasization to the lungs than the control groups ( Davis and others 2003 ). Critics have responded that this study was conducted on mice that were specifically bred to develop cancer, and that black cohosh may not demonstrate the same physiological effect on humans ( Decker 2003, Murray 2003 ). Several studies have looked at other medicinal applications of black cohosh. Burdette and others ( 2002 ) found that black cohosh possesses antioxidant activity and may protect against damage to DNA by reactive oxygen species. Burke and others ( 2002 ) examined the use of black cohosh to treat menstrual migraines. Takahira and others ( 1998 ) examined the antimalarial activity of triterpene glycosides found in black cohosh. Most recently...