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<p>A new study reveals how black cohosh helps reduce hot flashes for menopausal women ...</p><p> Black cohosh has long been used by women to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. It has even been a popular alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the United States and many other countries. But until a recent study, scientists didn&rsquo;t know why it offered positive results. New information provides a clue.<br /> <br /> Black cohosh, which is a perennial North American plant that is a member of the buttercup family, was found to act on human opiate receptors, which play a role in body temperature regulation. This was the result of recent research by scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the National Institutes of Health Center for Botancial Dietary Supplements Research.<br /> <br /> Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that are associated with activation by opiates like morphine and heroin. However, other chemical substances may also bind to the opiate receptors and activate the appropriate response including pain control, an immune response, or other body functions including core temperature regulation. </p>Black cohosh has long been used by women to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. It has even been a popular alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the United States and many other countries. But until a recent study, scientists didn't know why it offered positive results. New information provides a clue.

Black cohosh, which is a perennial North American plant that is a member of the buttercup family, was found to act on human opiate receptors, which play a role in body temperature regulation. This was the result of recent research by scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the National Institutes of Health Center for Botancial Dietary Supplements Research.

Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that are associated with activation by opiates like morphine and heroin. However, other chemical substances may also bind to the opiate receptors and activate the appropriate response including pain control, an immune response, or other body functions including core temperature regulation.

The new study used an ethanol extract of black cohosh and found that constituent(s) of the herb could bind to the human mu-opiate receptor (hMOR) associated with mood, body temperature and sex hormone levels.

"The opiate receptor system affects several aspects of female reproductive neuroendocrinology, such as the control of sex hormones," wrote lead author Mee-Ra Rhyu.

Hot flashes are suggested to be the result of flawed body core temperature settings, controlled by the central nervous system (CNS), which in turn is regulated by the opiate system, said the researchers.

"Opiates can therefore alter core temperature setting directly or indirectly," they said. "Striking similarities exist between opiate withdrawal and menopausal hot flushes (flashes)."

This is the first time that scientists have linked constituents of black cohosh to human opiate receptors.

"Therefore, botanical dietary supplements containing opiate activity are expected to have beneficial effects in relieving menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes (flashes)," concluded the researchers.

"The opiate agonistic activity of black cohosh may explain at least in part its efficacy in alleviating menopausal symptoms."