Plant Extract may Help with Uterine Fibroids

by | Apr 13, 2016 | 2014, Menopause, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Of the 244 participating women, those who took the herb Actaea racemose for 3 months, had a 25.3% decrease in uterine fibroid size compared to control.

Women undergo several physical and psychological changes as they go through menopause, including changes in blood vessel function (1) , blood sugar control problems (2), cholesterol levels (3), blood pressure (4) cognitive difficulty and sleep disturbances (5). Another physical change is uterine fibroids (also called “myomas”), the most common benign tumors in females which could be found in 77% of hysterectomy specimens (6).

Although estrogen therapy remains the most common approach to addressing menopause (7), the results of the Women’s Health Initiative showing estrogen therapy is associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease have increased the need for an alternative (8). In addition, estrogen may play a role in the growth of uterine fibroids (9). Fortunately, a 2014 study (10) suggests that Actaea racemose, also known as black bugbane, a plant native to northeastern North America and Canada (11), may be a safe alternative to hormone therapy for uterine fibroids.

The study involved 244 women aged 40-60 with menopausal symptoms (defined as having a score greater than 15 on the Kupperman Menopause Index (12)). They were given either 40 milligrams per day of Actaea racemose (122 women, 34 of which had at least 1 uterine fibroid) or 2.5 mg of a medication called tibolone (13) (122 women, 28 of which had at least 1 uterine fibroid) per day for 3 months. The researchers used 2.5 mg of tibolone, which has been used in previous research (14, 15, 16). Transvaginal ultrasound was used to measure uterine fibroid size.

After 3 months, those in the Actaea racemose group saw a 30% decrease in the density (volume) of their uterine fibroids compared to a 4.7% increase in the tibolone group (p = 0.016). In addition, those in the Actaea racemose group saw a 25.6% decrease in the diameter of their uterine fibroids compared to a 6.6% increase in the tibolone group (p = 0.021). Unfortunatley, the researchers did not provide the raw data regarding the volume and diameter sizes of the uterine fibroids. No significant changes were seen regarding the Kupperman Menopause Index (p = 0.098).

For the researchers, “Our results suggest that Actaea racemose is a valid herbal medicinal product in patients with uterine myomas as it provides adequate relief from menopausal symptoms and inhibits growth of the myomas in contrast to tibolone.”

Source: Xi, Sisi, et al. “Effect of isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa extract on uterine fibroids in comparison with tibolone among patients of a recent randomized, double blind, parallel-controlled study in Chinese women with menopausal symptoms.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014 (2014).

Copyright © 2014 Sisi Xi et al. Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted April 12, 2016.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

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