April 2006

Adulterants found in black cohosh

An article in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry reports that three of 11 black cohosh supplements, commonly used by women to manage hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, purchased in the United States and tested, did not actually contain black cohosh.

Instead, the three products contained less expensive extracts of Chinese cimicifuga, a well known ingredient in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas. Chinese cimicifuga does not have all the same chemical compounds or clinical uses as black cohosh.

A fourth product indicated a probable mixture of the two plants. The products tested were purchased from 2002 through 2004.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) last year added these Asian actaea species to its list of potential botanical adulterants to warn industry to be on the lookout for this economic substitution. AHPA advises that manufacturers have a responsibility to know what they are selling and to take adequate steps to ensure that the ingredients in their products match the product labels and vice versa.

Source: American Herbal Products Association, www.ahpa.org

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