Estrogenic activity of herbs commonly used as remedies for menopausal symptoms.

Objective: Women are increasingly turning to herbal therapies in an effort to manage their menopausal symptoms. In this study, we investigate the estrogenic activity of four selected herbs commonly used in menopause, namely dong quai, ginseng, black cohosh, and licorice root.

Design: We investigated the effect of these selected herbs on cell proliferation of MCF-7 cells, a human breast cancer cell line.