| Disease | A DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY TEST AND THE ESTROGENIC EFFECTS OF DONG QUAI BY EVALUATING ITS EFFECTS ON THE VAGINAL AND ENDOMETRIAL LININGS AND ON HOT FLASHES. THERE WERE 91 POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN RANDOMIZED IN BLOCKS OF FOUR TO RECEIVE
EITHER 4.5 GM OF DONG QUAI ROOT DAILY OR PLACEBO. THE SUBJECTS WERE EVALUATED IN THE CLINIC AT BASELINE, AND AT 6, 12, AND 24 WEEKS. SERUM ESTROGEN LEVELS AND VAGINAL CELLS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 WEEKS. ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY WAS
PERFORMED AT ALL VISITS AND BLOOD PRESSURE AND WEIGHT WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT 12 WEEKS. EACH SUBJECT KEPT A DIARY OF THE NUMBER OF VASOMOTOR EVENTS EACH DAY, AS WELL AS ON THE 11 SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE AS DESCRIBED BY KUPPERMAN:
VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS, PARESTHESIA, INSOMNIA, NERVOUSNESS, MELANCHOLIA, VERTIGO, FATIGUE, ARTHRALGIA/MYALGIA, HEADACHE, PALPITATION, AND FOMICATION. THERE WERE NO STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS AT BASELINE. SIX WOMEN RECEIVING PLACEBO
FAILED TO COMPLETE THE STUDY, AS DID FOUR WOMEN RECEIVING DONG QUAI, BOTH GROUPS REPORTED SIMILAR SIDE EFFECTS, INCLUDING BURPING, GAS, AND HEADACHE. DURING THE 24 WEEKS OF THE STUDY, THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF 0.8 MM IN INDOMETRIAL THICKNESS IN
THE DONG QUAI GROUP, VERSUS 2.3 MM IN THE PLACEPO GROUP. FEW WOMEN HAD SIGNS OF VAGINAL ATROPHY AT BASELINE, AND THERE WERE NO CHANGES DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. THERE WAS A DECREASE OF 25 TO 30 PERCENT IN THE KUPPERMAN INDEX AND IN VASOMOTOR
EVENTS AND THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SERUM LEVELS OF ESTRADIOL, ESTRONE, AND SEX HORMONE-BINDING GLOBULIN, OR IN BLOOD PRESSURE OR WEIGHT. |