The Effectiveness of Herbal Remedies on the Hot Flashes in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Network Meta- analysis Study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose:This study was done to conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA) which offers a comprehensive evaluation of the treatment effects of herbal medicine for flashes of post-menopausal women and identifies the most commonly used herbs. Methods: According to PRISMA-NMA, a systematic search of Persian and English databases, including SID, Magiran, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and AMED, was carried out without a time limit until March 10, 2022. The careful examination of this study's questions was selected according to PICO criteria to find the appropriate keywords. A meta-analysis of the Bayesian network was carried out using “BUGSnet” (Bayesian inference Using Gibbs Sampling to conduct a Network meta-analysis) package in R software. Result and conclusion: Our review includes 45 RCTs (n = 3615 patients). The effect estimates and credible intervals produced by the preceding model for severity outcome showed that the difference between placebo and Silybum marianum, Soy, and Valerian treatments are statistically significant at the 95% level. The Silybum marianum and soy medicine were high ranks than the other treatments suggesting that it is the most beneficial treatment for the outcome among the treatments included in the severity hot-flash evidence network. Ranking the value of all these herbal medicines makes opportunities that might help design treatment algorithms to be validated in prospective clinical trials.