The Impact of Salvia officinalis Extract on Depression in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of the Salvia officinalis extract on the depression of postmenopausal women referred to the bone density measurement center in Shiraz. Materials and Methods: In this controlled randomized tria1, 60 postmenopausal women were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group. The participants were allocated to two groups of S. officinalis and placebo using random permuted blocks with a block size of 6. After 3 months, depression was measured by Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in both groups. Then, the independent t test was used to analyze the obtained data in SPSS version 21.0. Results: Based on the results, the control and intervention groups were homogeneous in terms of the level of education, occupation, and housing, and the decrease in mean depression scores in the Salvigol group was significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Salvia officinalis extract has antidepressant properties. As the rate of depression increases during menopause, it is recommended to be used as a supplement.