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Abstract
Objective To compare by meta-analysis the efficacy and adverse events of Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort), or its combinations, and placebo for menopausal women.
Design A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out by searching in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase and the Web of Science database.
Results Extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. and its combination with herbs were significantly superior to placebo (standard mean difference = −1.08; 95% confidence interval -1.38 to -0.77); extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. proved to be more effective than placebo in the treatment of menopause. Adverse events occurred in 53 (17.4%) patients on Hypericum perforatum L. preparations and 45 (15.4%) patients on placebo (relative risk = 1.16; 95% confidence interval 0.81–1.66).
Conclusion Extracts of Hypericum perforatum L. have possibly fewer side-effects than placebo for the treatment of menopausal women.
Conflict of interest The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.
Source of funding This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 81072613 & Project No. 21375147), the national key technologies R&D Program for New Drugs of China (NO. 2012ZX0901003-010).