Study
The study does not specify which agents were involved, but we suspect that the men received drugs that target the action of the hormone LHRH. This group of agents causes a drastic reduction in the hormones LH, FSH, and testosterone. The men had very low levels of these hormones.
All men suffered from hot flashes. Hot flashes are the result of the radical reduction of natural hormone levels.
For 8-10 weeks, the men received a capsule containing 150 milligrams of Salvia officinalis extract three times a day. This amounts to 450 milligrams of extract per day. The men took their capsules during a meal. There was no control group.
The study provides little information about the type of extract used, other than that it was a 4:1 extract. This means that 1 gram of extract contains as many bioactive substances as 4 grams of dried sage. That amounts to a teaspoon.
Results
Before supplementation began, the men had an average of 8-9 hot flashes per day. After 8-10 weeks, this had dropped to just 4-5 hot flashes.
Doctors determine the severity of hot flashes based on the Moyad score. This takes into account the number of hot flashes per day, as well as their severity. In the figure and table below, you can see that the Moyad score decreased by 42 percent.
Click on the figure and table below for a larger version.
The decrease in scores occurred during the first three weeks of supplementation. After that, the scores did not change much further.
The supplement had no side effects. The researchers monitored the concentrations of LH, FSH, testosterone, and SHBG in the men's blood but observed no changes. The men's quality of life also did not improve.
Of course, this study proves nothing yet. Apart from the experimental design without a placebo group and the small number of participants, the percentage decrease in Moyad scores was equal to the standard deviation.
