THE POWER OF PLANTS IN MENOPAUSE: A LITERATURE REVIEW ON PHYTOTHERAPEUTICS AS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT

Abstract

Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's life characterized by a series of symptoms, such as hot flashes, insomnia, and irritability. Consequently, phytotherapy has gained prominence by offering a more natural alternative with fewer side effects compared to traditional hormone therapy. This study aims to highlight the efficacy of phytotherapy in the adjunctive treatment of menopausal symptoms. An Integrative Literature Review was conducted, with a systematic search in PUBMED and BVS, using the Health Sciences Descriptors in English "Phytotherapy," "Menopause," and "Treatment" combined by the boolean operator AND. The results highlighted that plants such as soy isoflavones, red clover, black cohosh, chaste tree, ginkgo biloba, chamomile, calendula flower, green tea, among others, alleviate common menopausal symptoms, such as night sweats, hot flashes, facial flushing, anxiety, and vulvovaginal discomfort due to dryness. It was also observed that most women opted to initiate complementary therapy on their own, without professional guidance. It is concluded that phytotherapy for mitigating menopausal symptoms is an excellent complementary therapy that can be administered alongside hormone treatment, without severe adverse reactions.