Effect of Kudzu Flower and Mandarin Peel on Hot Flashes and Bone Markers in Menopausal Women

by | Jan 4, 2021 | 2020, Botanicals, Menopause, Women's Health

Written by Joyce Smith, BS. This study suggests that a combination of kudzu flower and mandarin peel (KM) consumption may improve the symptoms associated with menopause.

x-ray of woman's hipApproximately 80% of menopausal women experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly known as hot flashes (HFs) and night sweats 1, that are due to a reduction in circulating estrogen levels 2. Adequate estrogen levels are necessary for dense, healthy bone architecture, thus a deficiency in menopausal estrogen may lead to diminished bone mineral density (BMD) 3. Hormone therapy has been recognized for years as standard therapy for minimizing  menopausal  symptoms, yet  it is not without risk. While increased breast and endometrial cancers and venous thrombosis risks have deterred many women from using hormone therapy, these concerns have also encouraged them to consider plant estrogens as alternative treatment options. Unfortunately, an absence of sufficient clinical controlled trials has impeded the search for safe and effective non-hormone treatment options for menopausal women.

The kudzu flower, also called the pueraria flower, contains tectorigenin, tectoridin, and tectorigenin-7-oxylosyl glucoside, which have been found to have lower binding affinities to estrogen receptors (ERs) than those of soy isoflavones 4. Dried mandarin peel, rich in flavonoids such as hesperidin, naringin and narirutin 5, and kudzu flower have both demonstrated modulatory effects on hot flashes 6 and bone loss and resorption 7. The following randomized controlled trial 8 was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combination kudzu flower and mandarin peel (KM) extract for hot flashes (HFs) and bone turnover markers in women during their menopausal transition.

Healthy women, aged 45 to 60 years (n=84), who were experiencing HFs during menopause, were randomly assigned a 1: 1 ratio of either KM (1150 mg / day) or placebo (n = 84) for 12 weeks. During the trial, participants were instructed to maintain their usual diet and lifestyle but refrain from eating or drinking kudzu flower, mandarin peel, citrus fruits, calcium, and is flavone-rich foods and beverages. Dietary intakes and responses to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were recorded at baseline and at weeks 6 and 12. Sleep quality, food intake, and blood samples were measured at baseline and at week 12.  All participants kept a daily diary. The frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms were measured at both the beginning of the study and at study completion using a menopause-specific questionnaire on quality of life (Menfolk).

At 12 weeks, HF scores decreased significantly by 60.1% in the KM group compared to 50.9% in the placebo group from baseline (p=0.041), while HF severity decreased by 40% in the KM group compared to 26.3% in the placebo group from baseline (p<0.001). These improvements in the HF scores and HF severity were greater at night-time than during the day and were comparable or better than those achieved through non-hormonal interventions, including soy flavones, black cohosh, and red clover 9. Participants in the KM group also saw significant improvements in bone turnover markers, with reductions in bone resorption and increase in bone formation. No serious adverse events and hormonal changes were observed in either group.

These results suggest that KM use may be an acceptable option for HF reduction and improved bone turnover during menopause. Future studies to better elucidate the underlying mechanisms supporting these benefits are warranted. Failure to measure serum serotonin and epinephrine levels and RANKL gene expression responsible for the bone turnover function may have clouded a better understanding of the mechanisms at play.

Source: Kim, Ji Eon, Hyena Jong, Soothe Hurl, Junco Lee, and Oran Kwon. “Efficacy and Safety of Kudzu Flower–Mandarin Peel on Hot Flashes and Bone Markers in Women during the Menopausal Transition: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrients 12, no. 11 (2020): 3237.

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted January 4, 2021.

Joyce Smith, BS, is a degreed laboratory technologist. She received her bachelor of arts with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology from  the University of Saskatchewan and her internship through the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She currently resides in Bloomingdale, IL.

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