title: [Herbal medicine in womens' life cycle].
abstract: Women use herbs and other traditional and complementary modalities to treat various ailments throughout their life circle. This article reviewed 19 randomized controlled trials, which studied efficacy and safety of various herbs in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy and menopausal hot flushes. Preliminary data support the efficacy of Chaste tree fruit (Vitex agnus) in the treatment of PMS, Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in the treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum and (Cimicifuga racemosa) in the treatment of menopausal hot flushes. Additional and more rigorous studies are warranted in order to support the efficacy and safety of these herbal remedies.
authors.affiliation: The Complementary and Traditional Medicine Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. eranben@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Arye
authors.forename: Amnon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oren
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben-Arie
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D011247:Pregnancy; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016387:Women's Health