BLACK COHOSH: WHAT OUR LAB TESTS SHOWED
HERE’S how the products we tested compared against those with a Traditional Herbal Registration (THR), which meet the quality and safety standards set by the UK drug regulator. A black cohosh product must have a THR to be sold in the UK. Standard THR products contain 6.5mg of black cohosh extract per tablet, which is equivalent to an average of 42.5mg of black cohosh herb. The lab tests assessed the products on how much of the herb they contained.
WORST IN OUR TESTS DR CORBYN MENOPAUSE SUPPORT BLACK COHOSH 100MG
Retailer: amazon.co.uk Cost: £5.99 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 20p Labelled strength: 100mg herb/ 6.67mg rhizome extract
THR logo: No
Levels found in lab tests: 1.1mg black cohosh herb; 99 pc less than claimed on packaging.
NUTRIVITY BLACK COHOSH TABLETS 6.5MG
Retailer: amazon.co.uk Cost: £17.99 for 60 tablets Cost per tablet: 30p Labelled strength: 6.5mg root extract [the equivalent of 42.5mg of the herb]
THR logo: No
Levels found in lab tests: 2.3mg black cohosh herb (19x weaker than THR products, 42.5mg). May also contain alternate species, Actaea foetida.
BODYGENIX BLACK COHOSH 6.5MG
Retailer: amazon.co.uk Cost: £8.99 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 30p
Labelled strength: 6.5mg root extract [equivalent of 42.5mg of the herb]
THR logo: No Levels found in lab tests:
16.8mg black cohosh herb; 2.5 times weaker than claimed.
PIPINGROCK BLACK COHOSH 700MG CONCENTRATED EXTRACT
Retailer: pipingrock.com (promoted on Google) Cost: £8.82 for 150 tablets Cost per tablet: 6p Labelled strength: 700mg ‘concentrated extract’ [equivalent of 540mg herb]
THR logo: No
Levels found in lab tests: 242mg black cohosh herb. Weaker than claimed but nearly 6x stronger than THR products.
BEST IN OUR TESTS MENOHERB BLACK COHOSH MENOPAUSE RELIEF TABLETS
Retailer: amazon.co.uk Cost: £7 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 23p Labelled strength: 6.5mg rhizome and root extract
THR logo: Yes
Levels found in lab tests: 6.5mg black cohosh extract, equivalent of 42.5mg black cohosh herb. As described on label.
HIGHER NATURE BLACK COHOSH MENOPAUSE RELIEF
Retailer: amazon.co.uk Cost: £8.99 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 30p Labelled strength: 6.5mg rhizome and root extract
THR logo: Yes Levels found in lab tests:
6.5mg black cohosh extract, equivalent of 42.5mg black cohosh herb. As described on label.
BOOTS MENOLIEVE BLACK COHOSH ROOT EXTRACT 6.5MG
Retailer: Boots Cost: £10.30 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 33p Labelled strength: 6.5mg rhizome and root extract
THR logo: Yes
Levels found in lab tests: 6.5mg black cohosh extract, equivalent of 42.5mg black cohosh herb. As described on label.
HOLLAND & BARRETT MENOCOOL BLACK COHOSH TABLETS
Retailer: Holland & Barrett Cost: £9.99 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 33p Labelled strength: 6.5mg rhizome and root extract
THR logo: Yes
Levels found in lab tests: 6.5mg black cohosh extract, equivalent of 42.5mg black cohosh herb. As described on label.
HEALTHSPAN BLACK COHOSH MENOPAUSE RELIEF TABLETS
Retailer: Superdrug Cost: £10.99 for 30 tablets Cost per tablet: 37p Labelled strength: 6.5mg rhizome and root extract
THR logo: Yes
Levels found in lab tests: 6.5mg black cohosh extract, equivalent of 42.5mg black cohosh herb. As described on label.