Fatemeh (PBUH) School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Menopause. 2010 Mar;17(2):326-31. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181b8e02d.
Because of a decline in estradiol levels, premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women experience symptoms related to vasomotor instability. Certain plants have been found to have molecular components that are identical in structure and function to human hormones. We conducted this study to compare the efficacy of St John's wort with that of placebo in women with hot flashes.
A total of 100 women participated in a clinical trial conducted in an academic medical center in Shiraz-Iran. Women were treated with St John's wort extract or placebo for 8 weeks. Climacteric complaints were evaluated by using the Blatt-Kupperman Index at two follow-up visits. Statistical analysis was carried out by using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis.
The mean age of the participants was 50.4 years. Both groups responded to the interventions, and the within-group differences in frequency, duration, and severity of hot flashes were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference in duration of hot flashes between groups was not significant on the 4th week of intervention (P = 0.27); however, it was statistically significant between the two groups on the 8th week of treatment (P < 0.001). The fall-off in frequency of hot flashes on the 4th and 8th weeks of intervention was more evident in women receiving St John's wort, and the differences between groups were statistically significant (P = 0.005 and P < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, comparing both study groups, we showed that the decrease in the severity of flashes in women who received St John's wort was more evident on the 4th and 8th weeks (P = 0.004 and P < 0.001, respectively).
St John's wort can be used as an effective treatment for the vasomotor symptoms of perimenopausal or postmenopausal women.
由于雌二醇水平下降，绝经前、围绝经期和绝经后妇女会出现与血管舒缩不稳定相关的症状。某些植物被发现具有与人类激素在结构和功能上完全相同的分子成分。我们进行这项研究是为了比较圣约翰草与安慰剂在治疗潮热妇女方面的疗效。
共有 100 名妇女参加了在伊朗设拉子的一所学术医学中心进行的临床试验。这些妇女接受了圣约翰草提取物或安慰剂治疗 8 周。在两次随访中，使用 Blatt-Kupperman 指数评估更年期症状。采用描述性统计和多变量分析进行统计分析。
参与者的平均年龄为 50.4 岁。两组均对干预措施有反应，并且组内潮热频率、持续时间和严重程度的差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）。干预第 4 周时，两组间潮热持续时间的差异无统计学意义（P=0.27）；然而，在治疗第 8 周时，两组间差异具有统计学意义（P<0.001）。在干预的第 4 周和第 8 周，接受圣约翰草治疗的妇女的潮热频率下降更为明显，组间差异具有统计学意义（P=0.005 和 P<0.001）。此外，比较两组研究对象，我们发现接受圣约翰草治疗的妇女的潮热严重程度在第 4 周和第 8 周时下降更为明显（P=0.004 和 P<0.001）。
圣约翰草可作为治疗围绝经期或绝经后妇女血管舒缩症状的有效药物。
