Actually I found an interesting article about PM...but as with everything out there you can't know if it's honest or just trying to sell a product...so here's the interesting part:
"Can Anything Be Done About Estrogen Dominance?
The incidence of breast cancer in the United States is 141.1 and the incidence of breast cancer in Northern Thailand(Chiang Mai Province) is 13.7. Most of the males and females in this province consume a phytoestrogen herbal substance called Pueraria mirifica PM. This plant has a tuberous root which can be eaten. The plant
appears identical to other local plants and can only be distinguished from other non-PM containing plants during the 2 weeks annually when it is flowering. Most of the PM being sold is misidentified and has none of the benefits of PM.
PM contains a valuable phytoestrogen named miroestrol. Miroestrol is similar to the safest human estrogen estriol. Miroestrol is 3000 times stronger than the estrogenic activity exhibited by soy isoflavones(genistein). PM has more than 1000 times the estrogenic activity of red clover. In addition to miroestrol PM contains substantial amounts of other phytoestrogens including daidzein, genistein, puerarin, and mirificin.
When miroestrol enters an estrogen receptor it modulates the effect on the receptor. PM
supplements when the estrogenic activity is low and dilutes if the receptor estrogenic activity is high.
Miroestrol has no effect on estrogen levels in the body as it only influences the estrogen receptor.
In a clinical study on menopausal women in Thailand miroestrol lowered hot flashes 11 fold and night sweats 4 fold within 30 days. Most women start to notice relief of symptoms within one week.
Approximately 70% of Japanese women taking PM noted an increase in breast size. This was more apparent in younger women than older women.
The dosage of PM in females was 2 mg. per kilo of body weight. In the first month of therapy for menopausal symptoms 3 mg can be taken. Each pill of Beyond Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT contains about 80 mg. so taking 3 pills would supply this. A U.S. woman weighing 70 kilos should take one pill 80 mg. twice daily. In the clinical studies in Thailand doses no toxicity was noted even in doses 2000 times the usual dosage. Traditional Thai usage has menstruating women skip the therapy during menses.
So basically according to this PM is actually good:
supplements when the estrogenic activity is low and dilutes if the receptor estrogenic activity is high PM would actually regulate estrogen, so it's not possible to be estrogen dominant because of PM, if you're low on estrogen it gives you estrogen, if you're high on it, it dilutes it..but of course as you can see there is a product mentioned at the end (it's interesting the product is called
Beyond hormone replacement therapy, since you mentioned that)...but the article seems legit, full of info, you can read the entire article here, it's got interesting info about cancer:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james56.htm
Another part I found interesting was this one:
appears identical to other local plants and can only be distinguished from other non-PM containing plants during the 2 weeks annually when it is flowering. Most of the PM being sold is misidentified and has none of the benefits of PM.
It makes me wonder about all the debate that's been going around because of wild vs. farmed PM....
and it has crossed my mind to wonder if this is because it's not farmed so can't be certain of it's potency.