The Effectiveness of Herbal medicine on Hot Flashes in Post-menopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

Abstract

This study conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of herbal medicine in treating hot flashes among post-menopausal women. The research aimed to identify the most commonly used herbs in this context. Following PRISMA-NMA guidelines, a systematic search was performed on Persian and English databases, including SID, Magiran, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Web of Science(ISI), until April 2023. Keywords were selected based on the PICO criteria. Bayesian network meta-analysis using the "BUGSnet" package in R software was employed for data synthesis.The effect estimates and credible intervals from the model indicated statistically significant differences at the 95% level between placebo and treatments involving Silybum marianum, Soy, and Valerian for the severity outcome. Silybum marianum and Soy ranked higher than other treatments, suggesting their superior efficacy in managing hot flashes.The hierarchical ranking of these herbal medicines provides insights that could inform the development of treatment algorithms, offering potential validation in prospective clinical trials.