Two Japanese herbs for menopausal symptoms

If we compare traditional Japanese medicine with traditional Chinese medicine, we will notice that the first one opts for a more simplistic approach when treating patients with traditional herbal remedies.

Traditional Japanese medicine Kampo bases the treatment and healing of affections based on the symptoms of those affections.

KAMPO TRADITIONAL SYSTEM TREATS THE SYMPTOMS

This is the approach that Japanese traditional medicine Kampo took for many years on the use of two herbs, keishibukuryogan or Keishi Bukuryo Gan, and kamishoyosan, for the treatment of menopause symptoms as hot flashes, experienced by pre-menopausal, post-menopausal and peri-menopausal women complaining of hot flashes linked to menopause.

TOKI-SHAKUYAKU-SAN HERB

Another herb, Toki-shakuyaku-san, has also been subject of clinical studies with success [3]. Additionally we can mention Cimicifuga racemosa as another effective and proven herbal remedy for hot flashes, profuse sweating, sleep disturbances, depressive moods and other menopausal symptoms as shown in the results presented by Salzgitter-Ringelheim [5].

CLINICAL STUDIES ON THE TREATMENT OF HOT FLASHES

In a clinical study performed by the University of Tokushima in Japan a total of 103 women in the three above-mentioned menopause cycles were analyzed, together with forty women that didn't want to receive any treatment for hot flashes, measuring the serum levels of cytokines in all of them. Cytokines are small cell-signalling protein molecules responsible for chronic inflammation and sometimes linked to cases of depression, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis [2]...etc.

In another clinical study where the average duration of hot flashes was analyzed among a study group of 349 women, it was determined that "hot flushes that started near entry into the menopause transition had a median duration greater than 11.57 year", however the most common ages where hot flushes were observed were women between 45 to 49 years suffering a moderate to severe hot flashes [4].

THE RESULTS

The results of this clinical study showed that both treatments, keishibukuryogan and kamishoyosan, reduced significantly the circulating level of interleukin-8, small cytokines linked to inflammatory processes linked to the occurrence of hot flashes in menopausal women.

REFERENCES:

[1]Effects of Japanese traditional medicines on circulating cytokine levels in women with hot flashes. Yasui T, Matsui S, Yamamoto S, Uemura H, Tsuchiya N, Noguchi M, Yuzurihara M, Kase Y, Irahara M. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Course of Human Development, Human Development and Health Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.

[2] Wikipedia: Cykotine.

[3] Effects of three Kampo formulae: Tokishakuyakusan (TJ-23), Kamishoyosan (TJ-24), and Keishibukuryogan (TJ-25) on Japanese peri- and postmenopausal women with sleep disturbances. Terauchi M, Hiramitsu S, Akiyoshi M, Owa Y, Kato K, Obayashi S, Matsushima E, Kubota T. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima 1-5-45, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan.

[4] Duration of menopausal hot flushes and associated risk factors. Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Lin H, Liu Z, Gracia CR. From the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and the Center for Research in Reproduction and Women's Health, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Division of Biostatistics, Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana.

[5] Therapeutic efficacy and safety of Cimicifuga racemosa for gynecologic disorders. Liske E. Schaper & Brümmer GmbH & Co. KG, International Sales Division, Salzgitter-Ringelheim, Germany.

[6] The herbal medicine Toki-shakuyaku-san improves the hypertension and intrauterine growth retardation in preeclampsia rats induced by Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester.
Takei H, Nakai Y, Hattori N, Yamamoto M, Kurauchi K, Sasaki H, Aburada M.
Medicinal Evaluation Laboratory, Tsumura Research Institute, Tsumura and CO., Ibaraki, Japan.