Herbal Medicine
2012

Global dispensary

Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine 2012 24(2)

Management of postmenopausal syndrome with a herbal extract: a pilot study

Munshi Younis*, Huma Raque, Zahoor Ahmad, Sabia Rasool
Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine, University of Kashmir, Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir, India 190006 *Corresponding author: younismunshi@gmail.com, phone: +919 4190 86700

Background: Menopause is characteried by rapid and progressive reduction in estradiol which brings about many changes in a woman's body. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most common preferred treatment option for the management of postmenopausal symptoms, but with HRT there is signicant increased risk in conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, deep venous thrombosis and breast cancer. As a result there is a growing interest in alternative therapies produced from natural resources. This clinical trial is of herbs locally available that can be used for postmenopausal syndrome (PMS). Objective: To evaluate the efcacy of a herbal extract for postmenopausal syndrome and aim to provide improved methods of treating, preventing or otherwise mitigating the symptoms associated with menopause. Methods: Thirty women in the menopausal age were selected from the out patient department of the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine, Srinagar. The Blatt-Kupperman index for menopause was used to evaluate the efcacy of the herbal extract. Two herbs, Nepeta cataria and Cuscuta reexa, were used in the herbal extract. The extract was made by soaking the herbs overnight in warm water and then on the following morning the extract was given in the dosage of 100 mL twice daily. Results: Thirty women with active menopausal symptoms were selected with average age of 44.4 years and average duration of symptoms of 23.6 months. The average Blatt-Kupperman index score was 41.2 at the entry level which was reduced to 6.43 (p-value of <0.0001) after 60 days of treatment which represents an 84.39% decrease in symptoms. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that this herbal extract decreased the symptoms of menopause signicantly. Any change in hormonal level would need to be evaluated. As the sample size is very small the results need to be further evaluated on a larger sample of women. Key words: menopause, estrogen, herbal extract, phytoestrogens

Introduction
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Participants and methods

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FINAL 24(2) AJHM.indd 71

Global dispensary

National Herbalists Association of Australia 2012

Table 2: Change in Blatt-Kupperman menopausal index (BKI) score from entry level and subsequent follow-ups until end of the study

Table 1: Anthropometric data of the subjects

Parameters

Parameter

P-value

Mean

Mean

Max.

SEM

SEM

Min.

SD

SD

Entry level

Age (years)

41.20

0.84

4.61

0.61

44.4

3.36

30

32

50

First follow-up

Weight (kg)

<0.0001

60.58

1.34

7.37

29.9

1.27

6.86

17

43

30

Results

Statistical analysis

Intervention

Second follow-up

<0.0001

Height (m)

18.83

4.21

0.76

0.01

0.07

1.55

30

10

28

Third follow-up

Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine 2012 24(2)

BMI (kg/m2)

<0.0001

10.93

25.29

4.47

0.81

0.74

4.03

00

18

30

End of the study (day 60)

Duration of symptoms (months)

<0.0001

10.31

3.27

0.59

6.43

1.88

23.6

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30

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Discussion

Acknowledgement

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FINAL 24(2) AJHM.indd 72

3 " $ &   $ 4 4 2 # @ 3 $ 2 " 3 0 (   0 # % 9 5 6 & 5 $ % $ @ 4 " $ " & " $   !  $ 5 Y $ 4  4 c 6 ! F F $ 7 3 " $ ! 5 s 1 % $ 1 # " ! ' 4 C % &  $ Q 4 0 3 # " $ & & ) # % # 7 4 0 3 % ! & 3 0 ) # " 3 2 & 5 8 ) $ 4 h a 1 W ( "   ( # 0 0 5 4 3 4 7 % 6 C % & $ & 5 0 3 1 & C 6 6 ) ( # 0 0

Global dispensary

64

References

National Herbalists Association of Australia 2012

Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine 2012 24(2)

20/06/2012 10:26:15 AM

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