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Archive for the 'Botanicals' Category

Valerian and Insomnia

A recent study was published in the journal, Menopause, on the impact of valerian for sleep quality in postmenopausal women who were experiencing insomnia. The postmenopausal women studied were generally healthy women aged 50 to 60 years who were menopausal for at least 1 year, were not using hormone therapy and were experiencing insomnia as [...]

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Maitake Mushroom Extract and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

The effect of Maitake extract was explored as to its ability to induce ovulation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in comparison with and in combination with clomiphene citrate (CC). An open trial was conducted in 80 women with PCOS at three different clinics in Japan. Seventy two patients were randomized and 36 received [...]

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Maca

Maca is a traditional plant common to the Andes Mountains and has been used for centuries to enhance fertility, improve sexual function, improve energy and more. Maca (aka Lepidium Peruvianum and Lepidium meyenii) belongs to the mustard family and is considered an adaptogen—helping us to adapt to a variety of stressors. A systematic review was [...]

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St. John’s wort products and extracts have been used for a wide range of medical conditions, the most common being depressive disorders. The most robust research is in the area of mild to moderate depression, with some additional research in anxiety, severe depression, seasonal affective disorder, premenstrual syndrome, and perimenopause/menopause. St. John’s wort is the [...]

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A prospective observational study was carried out in 50 breast cancer patients on tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen therapy that can also induce or worsen menopausal symptoms. All 50 women were post surgery, 87% of them were post radiation treatment and approximately half of them had received chemotherapy as well. Each patient was treated with an isopropanolic [...]

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Cranberry and Bladder Infections

A small study was conducted in 10 Greek postmenopausal women who had at least 3 documented urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the previous year or at least 2 UTIs in the last 6 months prior to the start of the study. Women were given 400 mg of cranberry extract twice per day (2 caps in [...]

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Hops and Menopausal Symptoms

A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study was done to examine the efficacy of a hops extract for relief of menopausal symptoms. 36 menopausal women were randomized to take either a placebo or the hops extract for a period of eight weeks and then they were switched to the opposite group for another 8 [...]

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Curcumin and Knee Osteoarthritis

One-hundred and seven patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were studied and included those with knee pain on a scale of at least a 5-10 in intensity, radiographic osteophytes and at least one of the following features: > age 50, morning stiffness < 30 minutes in duration and crepitus on motion. The majority of [...]

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Tea and risk of endometrial cancer

This meta-analysis was done to assess the association between tea consumption and endometrial cancer. A total of 7 studies with 2 cohort studies and 5 case-control studies met the criteria for inclusion in this meta-analysis. Green teas and black teas were included in the search. A total of 3487 cases and of endometrial cancer and [...]

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St. John’s Wort and Menopause

Several studies of St. John’s wort alone and St. John’s wort with black cohosh have been able to demonstrate that these products are good options for perimenopausal and menopausal women with hot flashes, mood issues, sleep problems and quality of life. In the newest of the St. John’s wort studies in perimenopausal/menopausal women, a total [...]

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