The community needs to be educated about potential risks of alternative and herbal medicines, in particular black cohosh, according to an article in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.

Black cohosh is a herbal remedy used by millions of women worldwide for the relief of menopausal symptoms. In Australia, more than 200 listed medicines containing black cohosh are available without prescription.

Dr Elizabeth Chow and her coauthors from Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide report a 51-year-old Australian woman who developed liver failure and required a liver transplant while taking black cohosh.

According to the authors, there have been seven previous case reports of severe hepatotoxicity associated with black cohosh in the past decade. Five of these patients also required liver transplantation.

Full article: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102587.php?nfid=20390