Pnm-19: The Effect of Black Cohosh (CimicifugaRacemosa) on Vasomotor Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Hot flash is considered to be an early and common symptom of menopause. This symptom can interfere with the social and personal life of women; therefore, it demands a secure and effective intervention. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the impact of black cohosh (Cimicifugaracemosa or actaearacemosa) on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, double- blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. This study was performed on 84 postmenopausal women. The participants were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. The participants of the intervention group received one black cohosh tablet per day (6.5mg of black cohosh dry root extract), and the control group received one placebo tablet per day for eight weeks. The severity of vasomotor symptoms and number of hot flashes were recorded during the pre-intervention phase, and 4 and 8 weeks after the intervention. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and ANCOVA tests. The level of significance was considered lower than 0.05. Results: There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of severity and number of hot flashes in weeks 4 and 8 by controlling the intensity of vasomotor symptoms and number of hot flashes before the intervention. Intragroup comparison showed a significant difference between the intensity of vasomotor symptoms and number of hot flashes during the two intervals. Moreover, using repeated measures ANOVA, the intergroup comparison indicated a significant difference between the test and control groups in terms of severity of vasomotor symptoms and number of hot flashes. Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, it seems that black cohosh can be used as an effective alternative medicine in relieving menopausal vasomotor symptoms.