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The effect of Licorice root extract on hot flashes in menopause
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Fatemeh Nahidi *   , Elham Zare , Faraz Mojab , Hamid Alavi Majd |
| student of Health Education and Promotion, Lecturer of Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , nahidifateme@yahoo.com |
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Abstract: (12947 Views) |
| Background and Aim: Regarding the high prevalence of hot flashes in menopausal women and its effect on the quality of life, and due to its controversial treatment, this study was run to assess the effect of Licorice root extract on hot flashes in menopausal women in families under the cover of health and medical centers affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services in 2008. Materials and methods: This double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 68 menopausal women who had experienced different degrees of hot flashes. Patients were chosen through the existing records in health and medical centres and then randomly divided into two thirty-four-member groups of Licorice (three capsules of 330 mg Licorice root extract each day), and placebo group (three capsules of 330 mg starch each day) for a treatment period of 4 weeks. Two weeks before taking the medicine, the intensity and number of hot flashes and type of food they had eaten were recorded using a questionnaire. To assess validity and reliability, content validity and repeated test with correlation index of 96% were used. Data were assessed by variance analysis test with repeated measurements and by t-test. Results: Menopausal women in Licorice and placebo group were 53.3±3 and 53±2.6 years old, 73.6% and 61.8% had 1.5 years or less from their last menstruation, and 41.2% and 38.2% had hot flashes during night, respectively. In Licorice group, the average number and intensity of hot flashes were 7.6±0.5 and 10±1.8 before the treatment and 5.1±0.6 and 5.1±1.6 after it. However, the average number and intensity of hot flashes in placebo group did not change. Conclusion: Licorice was effective in reducing the number and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women. It is essential that studies be conducted with a longer length of treatment and investigation of the time of recurrence of hot flashes after discontinuance of medicine. |
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| Keywords: Menopause, Hot Flashes, Licorice Root |
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Full-Text [PDF 147 kb]
(3533 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Medicine
Received: 2017 | Accepted: 2017 | Published: 2017
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