ABSTRACT
Objectives@#This study aims to evaluate the effect of a mixture of fennel and valerian extracts on hot flashes and sleep disorders of postmenopausal women in Iran. A randomized trial was conducted. @*Methods@#A total of 76 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to either of the two groups: fennel-valerian extract or control.One 500 mg fennel-valerian extract capsule was given twice, daily for 8 weeks. The 500 mg oral placebo capsule (starch) was given the same way. @*Results@#The mean duration of hot flashes increased in both the groups over time (P < 0.001). The mean frequency and severity of hot flashes in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group, in the first and second months after intervention (P < 0.050). Women in the fennel-valerian extract group had a significantly lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score than the control group 2 months after intervention (P = 0.030). @*Conclusions@#This study found that fennel-valerian extract was effective for relieving sleep disorders as well as the severity and frequency of hot flashes compared with a placebo.
ABSTRACT
Achillea tenuifolia Lam [Asteraceae] afforded a methanolic extract from which after fractionation in solvents with different polarities two known flavones 3', 5- dihydroxy- 4', 6, 7- trimethoxy flavone [eupatorine, compound 3], 5- hydroxy- 3', 4', 6, 7- tetramethoxyflavone [compound 4], besides stearic acid [compound 1 ], lupeol [compound 2], daucosterol [beta- sitosterol 3-O- beta- D- glucopyranoside, compound 5], 2, 4- dihydroxy methyl benzoate [compound 6] were isolated for the first time. The structure of isolated compounds was elucidated by means of different spectroscopic methods such as UV, IR, Mass and [1]H- NMR [1D and 2D] and [13]C-NMR. For further confirming of structures of isolated compounds, comparison of the spectral data of them with those reported in the litratures have been done
ABSTRACT
Achillea tenuifolia Lam. [Asteraceae] afforded a dichloromethane fraction from which three known compounds beta-sitosterol [compound1], 5-hydroxy, 4',6,7- trimethoxy flavone [salvigenin compound 2], and methyl-gallate [compound 3] were isolated for the first time. The structure of isolated compounds was elucidated by different spectroscopic methods. Applying the molar-ratio method, the complexation of salvigenin with Fe [III], Cu[II] and Zn[II], the most abundant type of metal ions in the body, were then evaluated. It was determined that stoichiometric ratio of salvigenin with these cations were as Fe[Salvigenin][2] [H2O][2] and Cu[Salvigenin][2][H2O][2] in methanolic solution without pH control, while zinc ions didn't form significant complexes. The results were confirmed more, by computational molecular modeling of the structure of proposed ligand-complexes by semi-imperical PM3 calculations, which determined negative heat of formation for the complexes Fe[III] and Cu[II] ions as -689.7 and -573.5, respectively and proposed chelating affinity of salvigenin in the following order: Fe[III] > Cu[II] >> Zn[II]