Source Naturals Black Cohosh Extract, 120 Tablets Review
#3 of 9 · Best Standardized Value✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Sep 7, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Consider it. Standardized actives without the premium price. If you want a properly standardized extract and are price-sensitive, Source Naturals is the sweet spot: 80 mg at 2.5% glycosides, 120 tablets, low cost per dose.
~$16.50~$0.14 per tablet (~$0.28/day at 1 twice daily)
Why It Scores 7.0 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Standardization & Form
30% of score80 mg extract standardized to 2.5% triterpene glycosides puts the same marker actives on the label as the trial-grade products.
- Form
- Tablet
- Standardization
- 2.5% triterpene glycosides
Third-Party Testing & Purity
25% of scoreMade in the USA to the brand's internal QC, but no public USP/NSF/independent seal — the main reason it sits behind Natural Factors.
- Testing
- Brand internal QC; made in USA (no public third-party seal)
Dose vs Clinical Range
20% of score80 mg per tablet lands squarely in the studied extract range at one tablet, or a full 160 mg at two, without doubling up as smaller-dose picks require.
- Dose
- 80 mg extract per tablet (2.5% triterpene glycosides)
Tolerability & Safety
15% of scoreSingle-herb standardized tablet, no added stimulant or hormone-affecting botanicals. Standard black cohosh liver caution applies.
Value
10% of scoreRoughly $16.50 for 120 tablets is the best cost-per-standardized-dose in the lineup — a long supply for the money.
- Count
- 120 tablets
- Cost per dose
- ~$0.14/day at 1 tablet
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Sep 7, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
Standardized to 2.5% triterpene glycosides
The label specifies an 80 mg extract standardized to 2.5% triterpene glycosides, the marker actives used in black cohosh research.
Consistent active content batch to batch
Standardization targets consistent glycoside content, but without a published independent third-party assay it relies on the manufacturer's own testing.
Effective for hot flashes vs placebo
Standardized extracts show modest, inconsistent vasomotor benefit; independent trials such as HALT (Newton 2006) found no advantage over placebo.
What Our Test Actually Found
The best cost-per-dose of any standardized option
At around $16.50 for 120 tablets of 80 mg standardized extract, the per-serving cost undercuts every other standardized pick. If black cohosh works for you, this is the cheapest way to stay on a properly standardized product long-term.
You are trusting the brand's own QC
Unlike Natural Factors' Isura program, there is no public independent verification here. Source Naturals is an established manufacturer, but in a category with a real adulteration problem the absence of a third-party seal is a meaningful gap.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- 80 mg standardized extract hits the clinical range in a single tablet
- Lowest cost per standardized dose in the lineup
- 120-tablet bottle is a long supply
- Single-herb formula, no confounding botanicals
- No public third-party (USP/NSF/independent) verification
- Efficacy is the category's modest, mixed story
- Tablet form disperses slower than a liquid phyto-cap
- 80 mg standardized extract hits the clinical range in a single tablet
- Lowest cost per standardized dose in the lineup
- 120-tablet bottle is a long supply
- No public third-party (USP/NSF/independent) verification
- Efficacy is the category's modest, mixed story
- Tablet form disperses slower than a liquid phyto-cap
If you want a properly standardized extract and are price-sensitive, Source Naturals is the sweet spot: 80 mg at 2.5% glycosides, 120 tablets, low cost per dose. The catch is the absence of independent third-party verification, so you're trusting the brand's own QC. Efficacy is the usual modest, mixed category picture.
Source Naturals delivers 80 mg of black cohosh extract standardized to 2.5% triterpene glycosides in a 120-tablet bottle, which is a genuinely long supply. You get the same class of standardized actives as the pricier picks, at a materially lower cost per serving. It doesn't carry a marquee third-party seal, which keeps it below the tested and trial-grade options, but for a standardized extract at this price it's the best value on the board.
The value play for standardized black cohosh
Source Naturals is the pick if you want real standardization without paying premium prices. It delivers the studied dose and actives at the best cost per serving here; the compromise is trusting in-house QC instead of an independent seal. Reasonable for a low-stakes trial — just observe liver caution and set modest expectations.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
02Natural Factors WomenSense
This is the pick for anyone who wants a standardized extract with real independent verification behind it.
01Remifemin
If you are going to try black cohosh, start with the extract the studies actually used rather than a cheaper substitute hoping it behaves the same.
Quick Answers
Is one tablet enough?
One 80 mg tablet sits in the studied extract range; some regimens use two for 160 mg/day, matching the higher end of the clinical trials.
Why is it ranked below Natural Factors if the dose is higher?
Because it lacks independent third-party testing. In a category with real adulteration risk, verification outweighs a higher per-tablet dose.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Newton KM, Reed SD, LaCroix AZ, et al. Treatment of vasomotor symptoms of menopause with black cohosh, multibotanicals, soy, hormone therapy, or placebo. Ann Intern Med. 2006;145(12):869-879. PMID 17179056 — Treatment of vasomotor symptoms of menopause with black cohosh, multibotanicals, soy, hormone therapy, or placebo. Black cohosh 160 mg/day showed no significant benefit over placebo for vasomotor symptoms across 12 months.
- [2] Leach MJ, Moore V. Black cohosh (Cimicifuga spp.) for menopausal symptoms. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(9):CD007244. PMID 22972105 — Black cohosh (Cimicifuga spp.) for menopausal symptoms. Insufficient evidence to conclude black cohosh outperforms placebo for menopausal symptoms.
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