Chinese Herbs May
Reduce Hot Flashes
Women taking a
Chinese herbal formula experienced less than half the number of menopausal hot
flashes they had before the treatment, according to a new study from Hong Kong.
Among women taking an
herbal mix called Er-xian decoction (EXD), the frequency of daily hot flashes
dropped by 62 percent, compared to a 52-percent drop seen among women taking a
placebo.
"It's a modest
effect, but not a zero effect," said Katherine Newton, a researcher who
has studied herbal menopause therapies at the Group Health Research Institute
in Seattle.
Newton, who was not
involved in the research, said she'd want to see more, long-term studies
demonstrating that these herbs are safe before she would recommend them to
women, but that the current study makes EXD look promising as an alternative
menopause treatment.
Hormone replacement
therapy is considered the most effective therapy for menopause-related
symptoms, but potential health risks from hormones have women looking for
alternatives, said Yao Tong, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and one
of the authors of the new study.
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