A review on the effect of medicinal plants on the treatment of menopausal sleep disorders in Iran

One of the most common complaints in menopause is sleep disorders. Today people are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine for their treatment. The present study was performed aimed to evaluate the clinical trials on the use of medicinal herbs in the treatment of menopausal sleep disorders in Iran.

In this narrative review study, databases of SID, Irandoc, Magiran, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched using the keywords of Clinical trials, Medicinal plants, Menopause, Menopause symptom and Sleep disorder. The full text of 32 articles from 2000 to 2020 has been used to write this article. 

In this study, 9 clinical trials were evaluated to improve sleep disorders in postmenopausal women by herbal remedies. The evaluated plants included Valerian (three studies), Lemon balm (two studies), Chamomile (one study), herbaceous (one study), Melis (one study), and Lavender (one study). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep disorders. The data suggest improved sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women caused by medicinal plants.

Medicinal herbs can be effective in menopausal sleep disorders, and due to the side effects of hormone therapies, these herbs can be used as a hormone therapy replacement in menopausal women, especially those who are contraindicated in hormone therapy.