TABLE 1.

Trial processes chart.

Period	Enrollment	Baseline	Treatment			Follow-up
Time points	Week -1	Week 0	Week 4	Week 8	Week 12	Week 16
Patients
Medical history	√
Physical examination	√				√
Laboratory examination	√				√
Informed consent	√
Randomization	√
Intervention
HongHua XiaoYao Pills (HHXYP) group			0.39g/pill, 2 pills, three times daily
Oryzanol Control (OC) group			10mg/pill, 2 pills, three times daily
Outcomes
the modified Kupperman Index (KI)	√	√	√	√	√	√
Hot flash scale (HFs)	√	√	√	√	√	√
MENQOL		√			√	√
HAMD		√			√	√
HAMA		√			√	√
Serum E2, FSH and LH levels		√			√
Serum NE, 5-HT and DA levels		√			√
Serum NO, ET-1 and CGRP levels		√			√
Expression of PI3K, Akt, and pAkt		√			√
Trial evaluation
Safety of medicine			√	√	√	√
Adverse event			√	√	√	√
Reasons of drop-outs or withdrawals			√	√	√
Patient’s compliance					√

E2, estradiol; FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; LH, luteinizing hormone; NO, nitric oxide; ET-1, endothelin-1; CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide; NE, norepinephrine; 5-HT, serotonin; DA, dopamine; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-active enzyme; Akt, protein activator enzyme B; pAkt, phosphorylated protein kinase B.