Herbal therapy for menopausal symptom relief

Abstract

Most peri- and post-menopausal women suffer from various symptoms including vegetative (e.g., vasomotor symptoms (VMS)), physical (e.g., body weight increase), psychological (e.g., insomnia, depressive mood), and urogenital symptoms (e.g., sexual dysfunction) which may last for many years. Internationally, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is recommended as 1st-line therapy for menopausal symptom relief. However, many physicians and women are reluctant to prescribe or use MHT, respectively, due to safety concerns. Thus, alternative treatment options with only minimal or no side effects such as herbal preparations are of great interest. Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh) and Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) are among the best known and most studied herbal treatments. In some countries, they are approved as drugs and covered by health insurances. The main indication of black cohosh is menopausal psycho-vegetative symptom relief. St. John's wort has successfully been used for the treatment of mild to moderate depression, and efficacy is reported to be comparable to conventional antidepressants.