[Effects of Rhubarb Root Extract] Three Benefits of Rhubarb, a New Ingredient for Menopausal Women

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

If you're a woman aged 45 to 55, there's something that everyone worries about at least once, and that's "menopause." In the late 40s, women's ovarian function begins to decline, and the secretion of female hormones naturally decreases. Due to the physical and mental symptoms that occur during this time, many women complain of suffering. In particular, symptoms such as a hot sensation in the face and upper body, cold sweats, and palpitations can make it difficult to sleep properly.

If you've been struggling with these menopausal symptoms, you should pay attention to a new material for menopausal women's health that I'm introducing today, "Rhubarb Root Extract." Rhubarb is a type of "daehwang," which is often used in traditional Korean medicine, and in Germany, the root of rhubarb has been used for a long time in the treatment of menopausal women.

So, let's take a look at how Rhubarb Root Extract can specifically help with menopausal women's health through research in the academic field.

Menopausal symptoms vary from person to person, but one of the most common and characteristic symptoms is facial flushing. Typically, it lasts for about 30 seconds to 5 minutes with a strong feeling of heat, followed by sudden sweating, feeling cold, and shivering before it disappears. During this time, symptoms like weakness and dizziness may also occur.

The reason these frequent facial flushes occur during menopause is due to the decrease in the concentration of the female hormone, estrogen. One of estrogen's roles is regulating body temperature. Therefore, when estrogen decreases, the central function of temperature regulation naturally declines as well.

It is known that components found in rhubarb, such as raphonticin and deoxiraphonticin, can activate estrogen beta receptors, which can alleviate menopausal symptoms. In a human trial conducted in 2006 with 109 women experiencing menopausal symptoms, the group that consumed rhubarb root extract showed a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of facial flushes.

The psychological symptoms that occur during menopause may not be visible, but menopausal depression is often accompanied by feelings of helplessness and emptiness that can undermine one's willpower. Additionally, it may involve severe emotional fluctuations.

The cause of such emotional fluctuations is also the decrease in estrogen. Estrogen plays a role in regulating serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls emotions in our brains. Therefore, during menopause when estrogen secretion decreases, it's easier to experience feelings of depression.

In relation to this, in 2007, Rhubarb root extract showed significant improvement in the "Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA)," which is used to measure a person's anxiety.
*Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA): The most commonly used test to measure a patient's level of anxiety, consisting of 14 items that assess feelings of anxiety, tension, fear, insomnia, cognitive impairments, and depressed mood.

The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) is an index developed in the early 1990s to measure the impact of aging symptoms on the severity and quality of life related to health. It is divided into three categories: physical, psychological, and urogenital, and consists of 11 items with scores for each item.

The MRS is usually considered to indicate severe discomfort due to menopausal symptoms when the total score is 22 points or higher. According to a paper published in 2009, the group that consumed Rhubarb root extract, with an initial MRS score of 34 points, showed a significant reduction to 12.5 points.

Today, we have looked at the research results from the academic field regarding Rhubarb root extract, a novel material for menopausal women's health. If you want to relieve menopausal symptoms quickly, medical treatment should be your first choice.

However, if, for various reasons, medical treatment is not an option, I recommend improving your lifestyle along with health supplements containing functional ingredients for menopause, like the Rhubarb root extract I introduced earlier.

So, what are some lifestyle habits that can help with menopausal symptoms?

First and foremost, regular exercise is essential. In particular, strength training has been shown to alleviate symptoms like facial flushing and night sweats [1]. Fast walking and activities such as climbing stairs, which are forms of aerobic exercise, are also effective for improving bone density [2].
[1] Bailey, Tom G.; Cable, N. Timothy; Aziz, Nabil; Dobson, Rebecca; Sprung, Victoria S.; Low, David A.; Jones, Helen (2016). Exercise training reduces the frequency of menopausal hot flushes by improving thermoregulatory control. Menopause, 23(7), 708–718.
[2] Alghadir, Ahmad H.; Aly, Farag A.; Gabr, Sami A. (2014). Effect of Moderate Aerobic Training on Bone Metabolism Indices among Adult Humans. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 30(4), –.

Diet is also essential. It's important to have a balanced diet that includes vegetables, fish, and meat. Among these, consuming beans is beneficial as plant-based estrogens found in beans act in a way that is similar to female hormones within the body.

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.