[A few,A small number of,Some,One or two] [studies,investigations] have [also,as well] investigated the herb’s [effects,special effects] on menopausal [symptoms,signs], [but,yet,except,however] have focused on its [impact,influence,effect,bearing] on [mood,disposition,frame of mind] — and [not,never] the so-called vasomotor [symptoms,signs] of menopause, [which,that,which have] [include,consist of,involve] hot flashes and night sweats.

[Among,Amongst] women taking St. John’s wort, the [average,usual,typical,middling] [number,amount,quantity] of hot flashes [declined,went down] from [roughly,approximately,about,around,more or less,in the region of,almost] [four,4] [per day,each day] at the [start,beginning] of the [study,inquiry,survey] to [fewer,less] than [two,2] [per day,each day] at week [eight,8]. In [contrast,difference,distinction], women in the [placebo,panacea] [group,cluster,set] were having an [average,mean,median] of 2.6 hot flashes [per day,each day] by the [eighth,8th] week.

The herb [also,as well] appeared to [lessen,diminish,reduce,decrease] the [duration,period,length,extent,time] and [severity,harshness,ruthlessness,difficulty] of the women’s hot flashes.

The [study,research,report,review,analysis,survey] [included,incorporated] 100 women who were 50 years old, on [average,mean,median], and had been having [moderate,modest,average] to [severe,serious,brutal] hot flashes [at least,no less than] [once,one time] [per day,each day]. The women were [randomly,arbitrarily,haphazardly,aimlessly,indiscriminately] assigned to [take,get,accept] either drops containing St. John’s wort [extract,extort] or [placebo,panacea] drops [three,3] times [a day,each day] for [eight weeks,56 days].

SOURCE: Menopause, February 2010.