Key Finding
Medicinal plant supplements significantly reduced menopause-like symptoms in both breast cancer patients and healthy perimenopausal women, with breast cancer patients showing greater improvements in symptom scores than those receiving hormone therapy.
Menopause can be a challenging time, bringing hot flashes, sleep problems, anxiety, and other uncomfortable symptoms. For women going through breast cancer treatment, these symptoms can be even more intense due to the effects of certain therapies on hormone levels. Many women look for natural alternatives to hormone therapy to manage these changes, and medicinal plant supplements (MPS) have been gaining attention as a possible option.
A large review study published in BJOG looked at data from 27 clinical trials involving over 3,000 women — both healthy perimenopausal women and breast cancer patients — to see how well herbal plant supplements worked for managing menopause-like symptoms. The researchers found that women who took medicinal plant supplements scored significantly better on standard menopause symptom scales compared to those who did not. Importantly, breast cancer patients who used these herbal supplements actually saw greater improvements in their symptoms than healthy perimenopausal women, and even outperformed those using hormone therapy on some measures.
Beyond physical symptoms, the study found real mental health benefits too. Women with breast cancer experienced notable reductions in anxiety and insomnia after taking these plant-based supplements. Both groups — breast cancer patients and healthy women — reported fewer psychological problems overall.
The researchers believe the anti-inflammatory properties of these plants may be a key reason they help. Many traditional herbal medicines used in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice fall into this anti-inflammatory category, which is encouraging for women seeking holistic care.
If you are experiencing menopause symptoms and are curious about herbal medicine or acupuncture as part of your care plan, these findings offer promising support. Always speak with a qualified, licensed acupuncturist or TCM practitioner who can create a safe and personalized treatment plan for your needs.
This meta-analysis (BJOG, 2024) synthesized data from 27 RCTs — 12 involving 917 breast cancer (BC) patients and 15 involving 2,104 healthy perimenopausal women — evaluating the efficacy of anti-inflammatory medicinal plant supplements (MPS) on menopause-like symptoms (MLS). Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, and others through January 2024. Outcomes were measured via Kupperman's Index (KMI) and Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). MPS significantly improved both KMI and MRS scores across populations. BC patients demonstrated greater KMI and MRS reductions than healthy perimenopausal women, and a more significant KMI reduction compared to hormone therapy recipients. MPS also yielded higher response rates and reduced psychological burden — specifically anxiety and insomnia — in BC patients. Network analysis identified response rate as the variable most strongly associated with MPS use. Clinically, these findings support the integration of anti-inflammatory herbal protocols within TCM-based menopause management, particularly for oncology patients where hormone therapy is contraindicated.
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