Black Cohosh for hot flushes during opiate withdrawal

[pema]

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa or Actaea racemosa)

Black Cohosh is a traditional used medical herb. It is said to be an active mu opioid partial agonist but I am not 100% sure if this is really true. I haven't read the studies on that but a lot of texts refering to these studies.
Although it has a long tradition in medical use, there is not really much to find about this herb...
Because it shall act agonistic on mu-opioid receptors, I thought that it could perhaps be userful during opiate withdrawal. But after my online research, it seems not really to be useful for opiate withdrawals. I read posting in an other drugs forum where it was said that Black cohosh was not effective in alleviating opioid withdrawal symptoms.

But...

It has a long history of use for by women to reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

Of course, menopause is not really interessting for men... But "hot flushes" sounds interessting because chills and hot flushes are a problem for me during opiate withdrawal.
I thought that those flushes were only a women's problem during menopause. But then I found the following sentence:

The new research, from scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the National Institutes of Health (UIC/NIH) Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research, reports that the herb may act on human opiate receptors which play a role in body temperature regulation.

When those hot flushes are not a problem directly related to hormonal changes but has something to do with opiate receptors, then maybe it can be helpful - for men and women.
Actually I have no knowledge about the body's temperature regulation during opiate withdrawal. And I could not find good information on that.

Here are some other quotes that seem interessting:

Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that are associated with activation by opiates like morphine and heroin. However, other chemical substances may also bind to the opiate receptors and activate the appropriate response including pain control, an immune response, or other body functions including core temperature regulation.

Hot flushes are suggested to be the result of flawed body core temperature settings, controlled by the central nervous system (CNS), which in turn is regulated by the opiate system, said the researchers.

"Opiates can therefore alter core temperature setting directly or indirectly," they said. "Striking similarities exist between opiate withdrawal and menopausal hot flushes.

So maybe it could be possible to use this herb during opiate withdrawal to reduce the hot flushes. And when it has effect on body temperature then it maybe can help with the chills during withdrawal, too.

Therefore, botanical dietary supplements containing opiate activity are expected to have beneficial effects in relieving menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes.

Serotonergic activity
Given the lack of a definitive pathway to support phytoestrogenic claims for A. racemosa, serotonin’s (5-HT) ability to partially reduce hot flashes became a subject of research interest. Burdette, Lui, Chen, Fabricant, & Piersen et al., (2003) set out to identify structural markers that could help explain its reported effects. They found that propanol extracts of A. racemosa demonstrated an inhibitory effect on 5-HT sub receptors 1A, 1D and 7. These subtypes are found in the hypothalamus, an area known for its thermoregulatory effects (Powell, et. al., 2008). The inhibition of a 5-HT1A receptor indicates a hypothermic effect that could show up us a decrease in vasomotor symptoms. There are specific 5-HT receptors that terminate directly onto the LH releasing hormone (LhRh), leading to inhibition of LH secretion from the pituritary gland. Hot flashes are characterized by low levels of estrogen and a rise in LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (Burdette et al., 2003). A. racemosa selectively inhibits LH in vivo - Duker et al. (1991) discuss possible mechanisms for this effect.

Acting on opiate receptors
Despite this popularity, how exactly the herb could benefit women with hot flushes has eluded clarification until now. The new research, from scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the US National Institutes of Health (UIC/NIH) Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research, reports that the herb may act on human opiate receptors which play a role in body temperature regulation.

Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that are associated with activation by opiates like morphine and heroin. However, other chemical substances may also bind to the opiate receptors and activate the appropriate response including pain control, an immune response, or other body functions including core temperature regulation.