Could liquorice ease your menopause misery?
The menopause causes misery for millions of women worldwide but new research suggests there may be a simple solution to the hot flushes... liquorice pills.
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Scientists at the University of Southern California say the daily pill produced "remarkable" results, cutting the number of hot flushes experienced by volunteers by up to 80 per cent.
The female participants with an average age of 51 took a liquorice pill once a day for a year and kept note of their menopausal symptoms. Though it was eight months before the women saw any improvement, within the year, the majority said their daily hot flushes and decrease from an average of 10 to only two.
And the decrease in night sweats meant the volunteers were woken just once or twice during the night, compared to four times prior to taking the supplement.
Researchers believe the plant chemicals in liquorice may have a similar effect on the body as the female sex hormone oestrogen, the level of which drops dramatically in pre-menopausal women.
Furthermore, the liquorice pill was found to slow down the natural thinning of the bone caused by ageing.
However, previous research has suggested there may be a link between liquorice and high blood pressure and critics advised that HRT should still be the first port of call for women suffering with severe symptoms.
David Sturdee of the International Menopause Society, said the study was too small to provide substantial evidence as to the positive effects of liquorice, but added: "Anything that we can get that is non-hormonal and would be useful as an alternative to HRT... must be welcomed."
What do you think - have you found any natural remedies that really ease your symptoms? Leave a comment below...
