Fennel is an anise-flavored culinary herb which is beneficial for a number of health issues, such as premenstrual symptoms and digestion. A study has confirmed that it’s also effective for managing symptoms of postmenopause including sleeplessness, hot flashes, anxiety, and vaginal dryness, with no serious side effects.[1]
The use of alternative and complementary medicine for managing symptoms of menopause has increased lately as women are opting for hormone therapy alternatives. Although HT is the most effective treatment for managing most menopause symptoms, some women have considered herbal medicine because they’re either not candidates for HT or are concerned about the potential side effects. Fennel, an herb that contains essential oils, has phytoestrogenic properties. Phytoestrogens are found in plants which are estrogen-like chemicals that have been made use of for effectively treating a variety of menopause symptoms.
In this small trial of 79 Iranian women aged 45 to 60 years, soft capsules that contains 100 mg of fennel were given twice daily for eight weeks. Comparisons of improvement were made at 4, 8, and 10 weeks between the placebo and intervention groups, with a significantly statistical difference reported. Fennel was ultimately concluded to be safe and effective for treating and reducing symptoms of menopause with no serious side effects. This is one of the 1st clinical studies that examined the benefits of fennel for the management of symptoms of menopause, although it has been previously researched and confirmed to be effective for the management of symptoms of premenopause.
The study was carried out in Tehran, Iran, where in comparison to the US, the average age is younger of women at menopause: 48.2 years in Iran as opposed to 51 years in the US. Hot flashes, sleep problems, vaginal dryness, joint and muscular discomfort, irritability, exhaustion, depression and anxiety are some of the most common adverse effects of menopause. This small study revealed that based on a menopause-rating scale, fennel consumption twice a day as a phytoestrogen improved symptoms of menopause in comparison to a minimal effect of placebo.
