Abstract
Osteoporosis is rapidly turning into a global epidemic, leading to high rates of morbidity and mortality due to the resulting complications such as osteoporotic fractures in older people. Therefore, this review investigated the findings of clinical trials regarding the effects of medicinal herbs on osteoporosis. To this end, several keywords were used to search for relevant articles indexed in the Institute for Scientific Information and PubMed, including "Osteoporosis" or "Bone loss" AND "medicinal plant" or "phyto*" or "herb*". Finally, 43 articles were included in the review. There are several mechanisms for anti-osteoporosis effects. Estrogen-like effects, especially soy phytoestrogenic compounds and other herbal compounds and formulations, can enhance bone formation markers, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, while decreasing bone resorption biomarkers. Therefore, they can be used as complementary medicine for osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal older women. However, for more reliable evidence, further studies are still needed because most studies have addressed soy, and the number of randomized controlled trials conducted on other herbal drugs is small. The plants possess the androgen-like properties that play an important role in the promotion of bone health. In addition, herbal treatments are supportive and slow-acting and thus such treatments are suggested for prevention and maintenance purposes rather than fast-acting treatments.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is considered a serious growing health issue that causes many osteoporotic fractures globally each year due to impaired bone quality [1]
Materials and Methods To conduct this review article, keywords such as “Osteoporosis” or “Bone loss” AND “medicinal plant” or “phyto*” or “herb*” were utilized to search for relevant articles indexed in the Institute for Scientific Information and PubMed using the EndNote software
The use of medicinal plant-based products and derivatives is considered as a convenient and cost-effective method for improving bone health. They even can be used as a food or dietary supplement to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis
Summary
Osteoporosis is considered a serious growing health issue that causes many osteoporotic fractures globally each year due to impaired bone quality [1]. Osteoporosis is responsible for impaired stem cell differentiation and impaired bone microarchitecture/mineralization, especially in older women [2]. This disease can be clinically silent and the people do not usually undergo screening and prevention measures for it, the cost of osteoporotic fractures imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare system [3,4]. There are several anti-osteoporotic drugs and treatments of choice for improving bone mineral density (BMD), numerous needs remain unmet and several side effects and treatment failures are reported due to therapeutic methods [6,7]. The use of medicinal plants is growing for the treatment of various diseases. Medicinal plants and their derivatives can effectively maintain the bone metabolism in a balanced state and increase lumbar spine BMD, herbal treatments have not come up with convincing outcomes regarding the treatment or prevention of osteoporosis [9,10]
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