Effects of Fennel and Valerian on Menopausal Symptoms: Study on Hot Flashes and Sleep Quality
Menopause marks the natural end of a woman’s fertility and is often accompanied by various symptoms. Among these, vasomotor symptoms affect around 80% of women, while a third experience sleep issues, often along with psychological changes, musculoskeletal pain, osteoporosis, and genitourinary symptoms.
Although hormone replacement therapy is the most commonly used treatment to alleviate these symptoms, it increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer, heart disease, and embolism, leading many to seek natural alternatives.
A randomized, controlled clinical study observed 70 women aged 45-55 who had been in menopause for at least one year, over 8 weeks.
The participants took two daily capsules containing 500 mg of dry extract of fennel (*Foeniculum vulgare Mill.*) and valerian (*Valeriana officinalis L.*), or a placebo of 500 mg starch.
The study monitored the severity, duration, and frequency of hot flashes at the beginning, after 4 weeks, and at the end of the eighth week, using the Kupperman scale. The Kupperman scale is an evaluation tool used to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms by assigning a score to key symptoms like hot flashes, sweating, insomnia, and emotional disturbances.
Hot flashes were classified as “none,” “mild,” “moderate,” or “severe,” based on perceived discomfort.
Sleep quality was also assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI is a self-assessment questionnaire that measures sleep quality and related disturbances over the past four weeks, providing an overall score to evaluate general sleep quality.
At the end of the treatment period, women taking the fennel-valerian combination showed a significant improvement in sleep quality, with a reduction in PSQI scores.
A decrease in the frequency and severity of hot flashes was also observed, although the duration of these flashes slightly increased, which may be an unwanted side effect.
If your company wants to create or manufacture a product for treating menopausal symptoms
