The Effect of Hypericum Perforatum L. on Severity of Early Menopause Symptoms

Abstract

Objective: Menopause might lead to physical, mental problems for women and also disruption theirlife quality. Despite the existance of a single treatment to remove the disorders, herbal medicine is referable to chemical one in that they alleviate the related symptoms. The present research study aims to investigate the effect of Hypericum Perforatum L. on severity of early symptoms of menopause. Materials and Method: This double blind clinical trial study was conducted on 70 menopause women (two 35-person groups) picked out by a purposive sampling procedure. The first group received 160 mg Hypericum Perforatum L. (Perforin pill) while the second one received a placebo (ineffective pill). Menopause symptoms of 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after taking the pill or placebo were recorded in the 'Kupperman index' for menopause symptoms. The gathered data were then analyzed via independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and repeated measure variance. Significance level was P≤0.05. Results: The age average in the medicine group was 50.49±2.74 and in the placebo group was 50.63±2.87. Body Mass Index (BMI) showed an overweight in both groups (27.29±0.75, 27.23±0.64). Furthermore, comparing the 'Kupperman index'for symptoms between the two groups in 6, 4, and 8 weeks after intervention revealed that the Hypericum Perforatum L. significantly had positive effects on alleviation of eraly menopause symptoms compared to placebo (P≤0.001). Conclusion: The results indicated that Hypericum Perforatum L. might alleviate the severity of early menopause symptoms. Thus, given its being economical and also its slight side effects, it is recommended as a suitable and desirable replacement for counterpart chemical medicine.