Issue:
98
Page: 6
Adulteration of Black Cohosh
by Mark Blumenthal
HerbalGram.
2013; American Botanical Council
From the moment we envisioned the establishment of the
ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program more than two years ago, black
cohosh was included on the list of herbs for which we had a confirmed basis for
adulteration. Two published analytical papers by ABC Advisory Board member
Professor Ed Kennelly at Lehman College at the City University of New York and
his colleagues detected chemical marker compounds characteristic of several
widely suspected adulterant species from China, i.e,. other species in the genus Actaea. The American Herbal Products Association also has included
black cohosh in its list of “Known Adulterants.”
In this issue, we present author and botanical photographer
Steven Foster’s extensive review of the confusing nomenclature associated with
the genus Actaea (syn. Cimicifuga), of which Actaea racemosa (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa) — known most
commonly as black cohosh in North American and many English-speaking countries)
— is the only species that is legally permitted to be sold as “black cohosh” in
the United States.
Black cohosh is used primarily to help middle-aged and older
women manage symptoms associated with menopause. In the United States and
elsewhere, black cohosh dietary supplements are self-selected by many women for
such use, which is supported by a variety of published clinical trials. Also,
in what appears to be increasing frequency, black cohosh preparations are being
recommended by a growing body of licensed healthcare practitioners.
Consumers and practitioners need to be certain that the
“black cohosh” root material (or its extract) in the capsules or tablets in
their bottles of dietary supplements really are what the labels purport them to
be. While there are numerous responsible companies that produce high-quality,
properly authenticated black cohosh products, there are some companies whose
quality control programs are apparently inadequate, hence the detection of
adulterants in some commercial products. It is past time for all members of the herb and dietary
supplement industry in the United States, and the botanical products industry
around the world, to institute and adhere to appropriate quality control
measures related to properly identifying and authenticating black cohosh
products, as well as all herbal products.
With increased awareness of these problems associated with
accidental and intentional adulteration of black cohosh, the old excuse used by
some manufacturers — “We didn’t know to test for an adulterant in black cohosh”
— and related excuses won’t fly anymore. It’s time to stop the errors caused by
inadequate identity testing and the possible intentional substitution of
cheaper Chinese materials in order to ensure that consumers get what they want
and what they think they’re buying.
This article is the latest in a series that ABC is
publishing as part of the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program, in which
ABC is partnering with our good friends at the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia
and the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of
Mississippi. Previous articles in this series include Foster’s excellent
historical review of botanical adulteration (HerbalGram 92), his article on adulteration of skullcap with
germander (HerbalGram 93), John
Cardellina’s review of analyses showing that many materials labeled “grapefruit
seed extract” are adulterated with synthetic industrial disinfectants (HerbalGram 94), and Foster’s article on
the adulteration of bilberry extract with various synthetic and natural materials
(HerbalGram 96).
To date, the Botanical Adulterants Program is endorsed by
more than 100 members of the international herb industry, third-party
analytical laboratories, professional and trade organizations, media members,
accredited schools of natural medicine, and many more.
Also, of course, as is customary with articles in our
adulterants series, this article has been peer reviewed extensively and
carefully for accuracy by numerous highly qualified experts in the fields of
botany and taxonomy, chemistry and analytics, and the industrial trade of
authentic North American black cohosh raw materials.
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