The use of herbal and alternative medicine to help women better cope with menopausal symptoms is as old as “wise women” and folk medicine itself. Still, it remains gratifying when science corroborates what your grandmother's grandmother knew instinctively. Fennel, an anise-flavored herb used in cooking, was a wise woman favorite when it came to treating menopausal symptoms and scientists from Iran have just given it the 21st century Seal of Approval.

In a triple-blind trial that included 79 women from 45 to 60 years old, soft capsules containing 100 milligrams of fennel were administered twice a day for eight weeks. Improvements were measured between the fennel and placebo control groups at intervals of four, eight and 10 weeks. It was one of the first clinical studies to examine the benefits of fennel for managing menopause symptoms; the herb's efficacy versus pre-menopause symptoms has been previously established.

The new study confirmed that fennel is also effective, without serious side effects, in the management of post-menopause symptoms. These included hot flashes, sleeplessness, vaginal dryness, and anxiety.

What's the science? The symptoms of post-menopause are caused by reduced levels of estradiol, the main female sex hormone. The modern way to address that shortage – and still the most effective treatment – is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT replaces the hormones that your body no longer makes. Some herbs, such as fennel, serve as phytoestrogens, which can bind to human estrogen receptors. They don't increase your estrogen levels, but they enable your system to increase the effect of whatever estrogen is already there.

Many women turn to alternative therapies for the management of menopause symptoms because they are either not candidates for HRT or they are concerned about its side effects. These may include a higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots.

The new study was completed in Tehran, Iran, where the average age of women at menopause is younger than in the United States: 48.2 years versus 51 years, respectively.

"This small pilot study found that, on the basis of a menopause-rating scale, twice-daily consumption of fennel as a phytoestrogen improved menopause symptoms compared with an unusual minimal effect of placebo," says Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of The North American Menopause Society. "A larger, longer, randomized study is still needed to help determine its long-term benefits and side effect profile."

The research was published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.