06.01.10
Nutraceutical: St. John’s Wort
Indication: Hot flashes
Source: Menopause, February 2010;17(2):326-31.
Research: One hundred women—50 years old on average who were having moderate to severe hot flashes at least once per day—were randomly assigned to take either St. John’s Wort or an inactive placebo for 8 weeks. They consumed either drops containing St. John’s Wort extract or placebo drops three times a day.
Results: Those using the herb saw a greater reduction in daily hot flashes. Among women taking St. John’s Wort, the average number of hot flashes delined from roughly four per day at the start of the study to fewer than two per day at week 8. In contrast, women in the placebo group were having an average of 2.6 hot flashes per day by the eighth week. The herb also appeared to lessen the duration and severity of the women’s hot flashes, according to researchers.