MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES--EFFECT OF CHINESE HERBAL PREPARATION

Hot flashes are experienced by approximately 75% of American women. For those who cannot or choose not to take estrogen, Western medicine has little else to offer. The aims of the study are to examine the effects of a Chinese herbal formula as compared with placebo on the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in menopausal women. We will also determine whether the formula alters levels of sex steroids and gonadotropins and plasma lipids, and we will collect some preliminary data on phytoestrogen levels in the blood.