The Effect of Salvia Officinalis on Hot Flashes in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Maryam Moradi, Vahid Ghavami, Azin Niazi and 2 others
PMID 37489230WHAT IT FOUND
Sage extract significantly reduced the frequency of hot flashes in postmenopausal women compared to placebo, but did not significantly reduce their severity.
The evidence comes from only four small trials, so the finding on frequency is not definitive.
Key findings
01The meta-analysis found a statistically significant reduction in hot flash frequency for women taking Salvia officinalis compared to placebo, with an effect size of -1.12.
02There was no statistically significant difference in hot flash severity between the Salvia officinalis group and the control group, with an effect size of -2.05.
03The analysis included only four randomized controlled trials with a total of 310 participants, limiting the ability to assess publication bias or draw definitive conclusions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only four small trials with 310 total participants were included, resulting in insufficient statistical power. High heterogeneity (I² = 70-71%) means the studies varied widely in their results. Publication bias could not be assessed because of the low number of studies. The correlation coefficient for change scores was assumed to be 0.5, which may not reflect the true correlation in the original data. One included study did not report on blinding, increasing the risk of performance bias.
Declared interests
The work was funded by the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and the Deputy of Research at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant reduction in hot flash frequency as proof that sage is an effective treatment for severity or duration. The study found no significant effect on severity, and data on duration were insufficient for analysis. Additionally, the confidence interval for frequency crossed zero (-2.37 to 0.14), meaning the true effect could be null, despite the statistical significance reported.