Table 4.

Studies of Other Botanicals

Menopausal symptoms
Reference	Drug/Dosage	Study Design	# of Participants	Duration	Results
Hirata et al, 1997 95	Dong quai root: 4.5 g. daily	RCT: dong quai vs. placebo	71 postmenopausal women	24 weeks	Hot flash incidence decreased in dong quai group, compared to placebo, effect not significant.
Komesaroff et al, 2001 96	Wild yam cream	Double-blind, placebo- controlled, cross-over study	23 postmenopausal women	3 months	No changes in FSH, estradiol, progesterone, or hot flashes.
Chenoy et al, 1994 97	Evening primrose oil: 500 mg daily	RCT: evening primrose oil vs. liquid paraffin	56 women with 3 or more hot flashes a day	6 months	No differences in hot flash frequency between the two groups.
Tode et al, 1999 98	Korean red ginseng: 6 g daily	Non-placebo controlled trial	12 women with climacteric symptoms	30 days	Red ginseng improved fatigue, insomnia and depression. Cortisol/DHEA-S ratio was significantly decreased.
Wiklund et al, 1999 99	Ginseng: 100 mg daily	Multicenter RCT: ginseng extract vs. placebo	384 postmenopausal women	14 weeks	No benefit of ginseng over placebo in reduction of hot flashes.
Warnecke 1991 100	Kava extract: 100 mg, 3 X daily	RCT: kava vs. placebo	40 women with climacteric symptoms	8 weeks	Significant improvement in Kupperman index and HAMA anxiety score.
Grube et al, 1999 101	St. John’s wort: 900 mg daily	Non-placebo controlled trial	111 women with climacteric symptoms	12 weeks	Significant improvement in psychological and psychosomatic symptoms of menopause. Improvement in sexual well-being
Lucks, 2003102	Vitex agnus castus oil: 2.5 ml dermally	Survey of volunteers, no comparison group	52 peri- and postmenopausal women	3 months	33% reported major improvement in troublesome symptoms, most often emotional problems and hot flashes.

RCT=Randomized-controlled trial (double-blind, placebo controlled)