In the matter of understanding the effectiveness and safety of using herbal therapies together with other drugs, much is still unknown. So now, a researcher from University of Missouri will study how black cohosh - an herbal supplement often used to relieve hot flashes in menopausal women - interacts with tamoxifen, a common drug used to treat breast cancer.

Women who have aged and reached menopause may suffer increased risk of developing breast cancer. Many of them who have, or are at risk, take tamoxifen for breast cancer. The drug prevents approximately 50 percent of breast cancers in women who have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. However, when women take tamoxifen, they cannot take hormone replacement therapies to relieve menopausal symptoms. Their options are limited to taking antidepressants which can have complications, enduring uncomfortable menopausal symptoms, or trying the black cohosh.