Is Black Cohosh Safe in Breastfeeding

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Black Cohosh? Is Black Cohosh safe for nursing mother and child? Does Black Cohosh extracts into breast milk? Does Black Cohosh has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Black Cohosh influence milk supply or can Black Cohosh decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

• DrLact safety Score for Black Cohosh is 5 out of 8 which is considered Unsafe as per our analyses.
• A safety Score of 5 indicates that usage of Black Cohosh may cause serious side effects in breastfed baby.
• Our study of different scientific research indicates that Black Cohosh may cause moderate to high side effects or may affect milk supply in lactating mother.
• Our suggestion is to use safer alternate options rather than using Black Cohosh .
• It is recommended to evaluate the advantage of not breastfeeding while using Black Cohosh Vs not using Black Cohosh And continue breastfeeding.
• While using Black Cohosh Its must to monitor child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
• Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.

Rizomes and roots are used. It contains saponids, phytoestrogens, and other substances. Attributed effect: estrogenic stimulation. Indications according to Commission E of German Ministry of Health: pre-menstrual dysmenorrhea, menopause. Maximal daily dose: 40 mg of drug equivalent. Do not use it for longer than 6 months Estrogen-agonist may decrease breast milk production and alter its composition.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa, formerly Actaea racemosa) root was thought to have mild estrogenic activity based on its triterpene content, which is standardized based on 27-deoxyactein. However, recent studies have found no estrogenic activity.[1][2] It is primarily used for postmenopausal symptoms and has been used to promote labor.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Currently, it has no specific uses during breastfeeding, although historically it was supposedly used by native American women as a galactogogue.[9] No data exist on the safety and efficacy of black cohosh in nursing mothers or infants. In general, there is a low frequency of adverse reactions, but dizziness, nausea, headache, rash, vomiting, and rarely, hepatitis and allergic reactions have been reported.[3][10][11] Some sources recommend against its use during breastfeeding because of the lack of safety data and its potential estrogenic activity,[10] while others do not contraindicate its use.[9] Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information #about dietary supplements# is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.