Effect of Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan on hot flashes in young patients: a retrospective case series

Hot flashes are one of the main problems in postmenopausal patients. Hormone replacement therapy is the standard treatment for this vasomotor symptom, but long-term estrogen treatment can produce serious adverse effects such as higher risks of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. For this reason, hormone replacement therapy may not be advisable for young patients. Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan is an herbal decoction for hot flashes used in traditional Chinese medicine. We have extensive experience treating hot flashes in young women; this preliminary case series evaluates the effectiveness of Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan for alleviating hot flashes in young patients. In this retrospective case series, we reviewed the medical records of outpatients who visited the Department of Cardiovascular and Neurologic Disease, Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center for hot flashes from October 1, 2003 to October 1, 2008. Of the 60 cases, 37 met the inclusion criteria. Mean improvement in symptoms, as assessed using the visual analog scale, was 40.4 ± 28.5%; 51.3% of patients experienced a 50% improvement. According to the secondary analysis, the results of differential diagnosis of cold and hot syndrome and blood stasis syndrome did not affect scores. Only 2.7% of the patients reported adverse events. Our findings suggest that Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan improves hot flashes in young patients in a relatively safe manner. However, rigorous clinical studies are needed to confirm these results.