Efficacy of Actaea racemosa for relieving climacteric complaints

Actaea racemosa offers a promising evidence-based, effective alternative to MHT, allowing women to thrive through the stages of menopause. Results suggest Actaea racemosa to have a beneficial effect on reducing climacteric complaints, potentially reducing reliance on conventional medical resources. However, early findings need to be further developed and additional high quality trials are required. Poor adherence to the CONSORT extensions for Herbal Interventions, and Harms, was noted across a number of trials. In particular, many of the trials did not provide acceptable detail on the herbal medicine specifications. Seven different extracts of black cohosh were used across the studies, raising the question as to whether these extracts are equivalent. Trials also had different study durations, ranging from eight weeks to twelve months. Better outcomes were not associated with a longer trial duration. The inconsistencies noted require further investigation, particularly using similar, standardised interventions to improve the quality of evidence. Future studies which adhere to the CONSORT guidelines will improve reporting of randomised controlled trials.