Key Findings
Hot flashes are the most common symptoms experienced by women during menopause. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes. Flaxseed was one of the natural alternatives reviewed in this paper. There is a lack of research on flax and hot flashes. Only two studies were reviewed. One showed no effect. In the second, the flaxseed group showed a significant reduction compared to placebo group with respect to hot flash intensity but not hot flash frequency.
Abstract
Background: Hot flashes are the most common symptoms experienced by women around the time of menopause. Many women are interested in herbal medicines because of fear of side effects of hormone therapy. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes. Materials and Methods: MEDLINE (1966 to January 2015), Scopus (1996 to January 2015), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, issue 1, 2015) were searched along with, SID, Iran Medex, Magiran, Medlib and Irandoc. Nineteen randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Results: Overall, studies showed that Anise (Pimpinella anisum), licorice (Glycyrrhizaglabra), Soy, Black cohosh, Red clover, Evening primrose, Flaxseed, Salvia officinalis, Passiflora، itex Agnus Castus, Piascledine (Avacado plus soybean oil), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), and valerian can alleviate the side effects of hot flashes.
Conclusion:
This research demonstrated the efficacy of herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes, which are embraced both with people and health providers of Iran Therefore, herbal medicine can be seen as an alternative treatment for women experiencing hot flashes.
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