10.01.05
A University of Minnesota doctor is studying whether an ancient Japanese medicine used to treat hot flashes is effective for American women going through menopause. The drug is made up of cinnamon, other herbs and an Asian mushroom. The herbal concoction is called Keishi bukuryo gan. The name literally means cinnamon mushroom tablet. It’s very popular in Japan, where about 40 million doses are prescribed each year. Keishi bukuryo gan has been an approved prescription medication there since 1976, and it’s a covered drug benefit under Japan’s national health plan. University of Minnesota physician Greg Plotnikoff came across the herbal remedy while at Keio University in Tokyo. He’s been a visiting professor at that university’s medical school for the past three years. During his time there, Plotnikoff discovered that nearly all Japanese gynecologists commonly prescribe Keishi bukuryo gan for hot flashes. So he tried it on his Japanese patients…Still, Plotnikoff says Keishi bukuryo gan hasn’t been studied much in Japan. He says doctors there just accept that it’s effective….But Plotnikoff says he knew that explanation wouldn’t satisfy U.S. doctors. So he contacted the FDA and received permission to proceed with the first clinical trial of Keishi bukuryo gan in the U.S. So far about 100 women are enrolled in his study at the U of M. Beverly Fiman, 54, is one of them. For the past 13 weeks Fiman has taken five tiny pills a day, in hopes of eliminating her hot flashes. “It worked. It just worked. The hot flashes just went away. It was great,” Fiman says…Plotnikoff says he hopes he will have the proof to back up his belief that Keishi bukuryo gan is a legitimate hot flash medication. But Plotnikoff says it will probably take many more studies to persuade those who don’t put much stock in herbal medicine.
—Minnesota Public Radio, 8/21/05
—Minnesota Public Radio, 8/21/05