Research - Uterine Fibroids

Effect of Isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa Extract on Uterine Fibroids in Comparison with Tibolone among Patients of a Recent Randomized, Double Blind, Parallel-Controlled Study in Chinese Women with Menopausal Symptoms

Sisi Xi,1 Eckehard Liske,2 Shuyu Wang,3 Jianli Liu,4 Zhonglan Zhang,4 Li Geng,5 Lina Hu,6 Chunfeng Jiao,7 Shurong Zheng,1 Hans-Heinrich Henneicke-von Zepelin,8 and Wenpei Bai1

1Department of Gynecology, The First Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, China
2Departments of Life Sciences, Technical University of Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
3Department of Gynecology, Jiangsu Province People’s Hospital, Nanjing, China
4Department of Gynecology, The General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China
5Department of Gynecology, The Third Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, China
6Department of Gynecology, West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
7Biometrical Department, Excel Pharma Studies, Beijing, China
8Schaper & Brümmer GmbH & Co. KG, Preclinical and Clinical Research, 38259 Salzgitter, Germany

Abstract
Objective. Effect of isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa extract (iCR) on uterine fibroid size compared with tibolone. Method. The randomized, double-blind, controlled study in China enrolled 244 patients aged 40–60 years with menopausal symptoms (Kupperman Menopause Index ≥ 15). The participants were treated with either iCR of 40 mg crude drug/day (N=122 ) or tibolone 2.5 mg/day (N=122 ) orally for 3 months in 2004. Now, we investigated the subset of all women (N=62 ) with at least one uterine fibroid at onset of treatment for the effect of iCR (N = 34) on fibroid size compared with tibolone (N=28) by transvaginal ultrasonography. Results. The median myoma volume decreased upon iCR by as much as −30% (P=0.016) but increased upon tibolone by . The percentage of volume change, mean diameter change and geometric mean diameter change of the iCR group compared to tibolone were statistically significant (P=0.016, 0.021, 0.016 respectively). Conclusion. Our results suggest that iCR (Remifemin) is a valid herbal medicinal product in patients with uterine myomas as it provides adequate relief from menopausal symptoms and inhibits growth of the myomas in contrast to tibolone.

Source : Evidence Based complementary and Alternative Medicine
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