Effects of herbal preparations on symptom clusters during the menopausal transition
Ismail R, et al.
Published in Climacteric
Methodology
Systematic review by an experienced reference librarian across PubMed/Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Cochrane databases, Web of Science, EMBASE, AMED and Alt-Health Watch for randomised controlled trials published in English from January 2004, requiring effects on hot flushes plus at least one of sleep, mood, cognition or pain.
Key Findings
From 1193 abstracts, 58 randomised trials addressed hot flushes plus at least one co-occurring menopausal symptom, of which 17 tested herbal preparations: seven of black cohosh alone, two of black cohosh combined with other herbs and eight of other herbs. Significant effects on hot flushes plus at least one other symptom were seen in one black cohosh study, both combination studies and four other herbal studies. Black cohosh combined with other herbs, Rheum rhaponticum and French maritime pine bark stood out as effective, and adverse events ranged from mild to moderate with generally good tolerability.
Conclusions
Only black cohosh mixed with other herbals, Rheum rhaponticum, and French maritime pine bark had significant effects on hot flushes and at least one other symptom.
Limitations
Narrative synthesis without pooled effect sizes, restricted to English-language trials from 2004 onward; included studies varied in menopausal staging, symptom reporting and sample size, and most single-herb black cohosh trials were negative.
Supplements Studied
Black cohosh mixed with other herbals, Rheum rhaponticum, and French maritime pine bark had significant effects on hot flushes and at least one other symptom.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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