Skip supplements like black cohosh, which do not seem to offer any added benefit to diet and exercise.

CNN: How much weight is needed to strengthen my bones?

And it added in one case, a woman using black cohosh needed a liver transplantation after a particularly severe reaction.

BBC: Some women are using alternative therapies instead of HRT

Alternative hormone-free treatments are available -- herbs such as black cohosh, for example, or chamomile -- but there have been few scientific studies.

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The study measured the effect of three different combinations of black cohosh, an extract from the roots of a plant native to North America.

NPR: Menopause Study: Herbal Remedies Don't Help

Many menopausal women who are afraid that hormone replacement therapy could increase their risk of breast cancer have turned to the herbal supplement black cohosh an alternative in recent years.

NPR: Menopause Study: Herbal Remedies Don't Help

But she points out that the study also found that women in both the placebo and black cohosh groups experienced mild relief up to two fewer hot flashes per day.

NPR: Menopause Study: Herbal Remedies Don't Help

The prior research on black cohosh was inconclusive.

NPR: Menopause Study: Herbal Remedies Don't Help