I've been taking Remifemin for about 3 months. I have been pretty happy with it as far as relieving my heavy anxiety. Mind you, it isn't a miracle drug, but has really relieved that extreme tensed up "ready to spring" horrible feeling. The box says it's a standardized dose of 40mg. What does that mean? Cause there is a lot of other black cohosh products available at Walgreens, Meijer, Walmart, etc. They are considerably less expensive and I was wondering if they are just as safe as the Remifemin. Some of them are at higher doses though, and I am wondering if that could be harmful.

Anyone?

I see no one answered this. i have been looking into black cohosh today, because I read it is helpful not just for hot flashes of which i have just a few light ones daily , mostly at night, but that it may also reduce anxiety and muscle tension, both of which I am overloaded with .

So far I have read that usual dose is 40-80 mg per day. Some of the German studies used 40 mg per day. The physicians desk reference says this:

Typical Dosage
Black Cohosh is taken orally. The usual daily dosage is 40 milligrams, but because the strength of commercial preparations may vary, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions whenever available."

I also came across this interesting piece of research on the mechanism of black cohosh from Dec 2006:

Mechanism Of Black Cohosh Versus Hot Flashes Revealed

Science Daily — The natural herb black cohosh is commonly used by women to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its action have eluded scientists -- until now.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the National Institutes of Health Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research have discovered that black cohosh may act on human opiate receptors, which play a role in regulating a body's temperature.

Z. Jim Wang, assistant professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutics, led the study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; the paper is currently available on the journal's web site.
Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that respond to opiates like morphine and endorphins, Wang said. Chemical substances with opiate activity bind to the receptors and produce the appropriate response, including the regulation of pain, temperature and appetite.

"We used several extracts of black cohosh and found that elements of the herb could bind to the human 'mu' opiate receptor," Wang said. "The opiate receptor system affects several aspects of female reproductive neuroendocrinology, such as the levels of sex hormones and neurotransmitters that are important for temperature regulation."

Black cohosh (known as both Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga racemosa) is a member of the buttercup family. A perennial plant, it is native to North America. It has been used by Native Americans to treat malaise, gynecological disorders, kidney ailments, malaria, rheumatism and sore throat, as well as colds, cough, constipation, hives and backaches, and to induce lactation.

Women experience a variety of symptoms of menopause, but the hot flash is the most common. Although the exact mechanism of the hot flash is unclear, estrogen withdrawal during menopause clearly plays an important role, Wang said. It is assumed that declining estrogen concentrations may change the levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
As a result, the thermoregulatory center located in the hypothalamus functions irregularly, which leads to inappropriate peripheral vasodilatation that causes hot flashes.

"The hypothalamic thermostat setting can be controlled directly or indirectly by the opiate system," Wang said.
Wang said this is the first time black cohosh has been linked to the activity of the opiate receptors. The ethanol extract used in this study, he said, is currently being used in a phase II clinical trial conducted by researchers from the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of Illinois at Chicago.