Study: Chinese Herbal Tea Helps Lower Menopause Symptoms

Women going through menopause who suffer from hot flashes or night sweats had less symptoms when they took a Chinese herbal formula, according to a new study published in the latest edition of Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.

The herbal formula called Er-xian decoction (EXD), which is a blend of the roots, stems or leaves of six different Chinese herbs, significantly lowered the frequency of daily hot flashes by 62 percent, compared to a 52-percent drop seen among women taking a placebo,

"It's a modest effect, but not a zero effect," said Katherine Newton, a researcher who has studied herbal menopause therapies at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

University of Hong Kong professor Yao Tong and colleagues who conducted the study gave the herbal mix as a tea mixture to 101 menopausal women in their 40s and 50s. Each study participant drank the formula twice a day for 12 weeks, Mientka said. Half of them consumed a 15 gram dose while the others drank a blend of tea, caramel and gardenin.

Researcher Katherine Newton, who has studied herbal menopause therapies at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, told Kerry Grens of Reuters Health that the effect was "modest" and that she wanted to see more studies, especially long-term ones, to prove that the herbs were safe to use before recommending them. However, she did note that the study makes EXD seem like a promising possible alternative to hormone replacement therapy, which carries with it other health risks.