Table 1.
Main characteristic of herbal derivatives used to alleviate menopause symptoms.
| Herbal Derivatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Effects | Side Effects | References |
| Actaea racemosa | Black cohosh | Treatment of menopause symptoms such as hot flash, insomnia, irritability, but also musculoskeletal pain, fever, cough. | Gastrointestinal discomfort. | [76,77] |
| Evening Primrose Oil | Oenothera biennis oil | Treatment for menopausal and premenstrual symptoms, but also for atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. | Gastrointestinal disorders and interaction with antiepilectic drugs. | [79,80] |
| Foeniculum vulgare | Fennel | Treatment of hot flashes, anxiety, and vaginal atrophy. | No side effects reported. | [81,82,83] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo | Treatment of attention disorders in postmenopausal women. | Gastrointestinal disorders, allergic reactions, headache, and lowering of seizure threshold. | [84,85] |
| Glycyrrhiza glabra | Licorice | Treatment of hot flash duration. | Cardiovascular disease, hypercortisolism, hypokalemia, and hypernatremia. | [86,87] |
| Hypericum perforatum | St. John’s Wort | Treatment for the vasomotor symptoms of postmenopausal women. | Gastrointestinal disease, sensitivity to light, fatigue. | [88,89,90,91] |
| Medicago sativa | Alfalfa | Effect on neurovegetative menopausal symptoms. | Possible infection with Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Listeria. | [92,93,94,95] |
| Melissa officinalis | Lemon balm, bee balm or honey balm | Effect on anxiety. | No side effect reported. | [96,98,99,100,101] |
| Panax ginseng | Ginseng | Treatment of sleep disorders, depression, and sexual function. | Possible effect on endometrial thickness. | [102,103,104,105,106] |
| Passiflora incarnata | Passion fruit | Treatment of vasomotor symptoms, insomnia, anxiety and dysmenorrhea. | No side effect reported. | [107,108,109] |
| Pimpinella anisum | Anise | Treatment of hot flashes but it also exerts an antiulcer action. | No side effects reported. | [110,111,112,113] |
| Salvia officinalis | Sage herb | Treatment of hot flashes and sweats. | Possible interaction with diabetes and blood pressure. | [114,115,116] |
| Trifolium pretense | Red clover | Treatment of hot flashes and it also exerts a bone preventing loss. | No side effects reported. | [117,118,119,120] |
| Trigonella foenum | Fenugreek | Treatment for hot flashes and osteopenia. | No particularly side effects. | [121,122] |
| Valerian officinalis | Valerian | Useful for hot flashes, anxiety, sleep disorders and dysmenorrhea. | No side effects reported. | [123,124,125] |
| Vitex agnus-castus | Chaste tree, chasteberry or monk’s pepper | Treatment for vasomotor symptoms and sleep diseases. | Not reported. | [126,127,128] |