Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Black Cohosh the Safety Factor
Physicians argued about black cohosh a century ago, and the debate continues today. A 1986 Food and Drug Administration report dismissed black cohosh as having “no therapeutic value” and warned of its possible side effects. Other experts say the herb has many potentially beneficial effects but consider it too toxic to use. The Germans, meanwhile, include the herb in several prescription drugs to relieve menopausal discomforts.
Black cohosh overdose may cause dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, visual dimness, headache, tremors, joint pains, and depressed heart rate. For some, these effects may develop at relatively low doses.
In addition to the side effects listed above, the estrogenlike component of the herb may act just like estrogen itself and contribute to liver problems and abnormal blood clotting, as well as promote the development of certain types of breast tumors. Finally, pregnant women should not use estrogenic herbs.
Black cohosh’s possible effects on the heart are most worrisome. Anyone with heart disease, especially congestive heart failure, should not use it.
Potentially Potent
Black cohosh is a potentially hazardous herb that should be used cautiously. Otherwise healthy nonpregnant, nonnursing adults who do not have heart disease or estrogen-dependent cancers and are not taking sedatives, blood pressure medication, birth control pills, or postmenopausal estrogen, may use it for short periods in amounts typically recommended-but only with a physician’s consent.
If any of the side effects listed above develop, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.
Native Cultivation - Get to the Root
Black cohosh is a leafy perennial that reaches 9 feet. It has knotty black roots and a smooth stem with large, toothed, compound leaves and small, multiple white flowers that develop in midsummer on long projections called racemes.
Black cohosh grows from seeds sown in spring or root divisions taken in spring or fall.
Harvest the roots in fall after the fruits have ripened. Cut them lengthwise to dry.