Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 16–7
The aim of this pilot double-blind clinical trial was to verify the feasibility of a large-scale RCT that will compare Hypericum perforatum (St John’s wort) extract and placebo with respect to changes in symptoms and quality of life among symptomatic menopausal women.
Menopausal women aged 40–65 with hot flushes (≥ 3 a day, HERS scale) were randomly assigned to get St John’s wort (300 mg t.i.d.) or placebo. Women were asked to keep a daily diary during the week before ran-domisation and during month 3 of follow-up (primary outcome) to record hot flush frequency and intensity. Hot flush scores (frequency X severity) were calculated. The MENQOL and SF-12 questionnaires were used to assess menopause-specific and generic quality of life, respectively.
Forty-two women were randomised. After 12 weeks of treatment, a non-significant difference favouring the St John’s wort group was observed in the frequency of hot flushes (St John’s wort −16±25, placebo −7±15; P = 0.11) and hot flush scores (−26 ± 58 and −12 ± 45, respectively; P = 0.10). Compared to placebo, women in the St John’s wort group reported significantly better menopause-specific quality of life (P = 0.01) and significantly fewer sleep problems (P = 0.05).
These preliminary data suggest that Hypericum perforatum may improve quality of life in dimensions that are pertinent to symptomatic menopausal women, but need to be confirmed by a larger clinical trial.
This study was funded by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
