Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32671547›Full record

ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2020

Apitherapy for menopausal problems.

Karsten Münstedt, Heidrun Männle

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Royal Jelly: Biological Action and Health Benefits.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Karsten MünstedtOrtenau Klinikum Offenburg-Kehl, Ebertplatz 12, 77654, Offenburg, Germany. karsten.muenstedt@ortenau-klinikum.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4273-5964
Heidrun MännleOrtenau Klinikum Offenburg-Kehl, Ebertplatz 12, 77654, Offenburg, Germany.
Ortenau Klinikum · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeApitherapy, a method from the field of complementary and alternative medicine, claims that all health problems including menopausal problems can be cured using bee products, especially honey, bee-collected pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. This study was to investigate the recommendations of protagonists of holistic apitherapy and compare these to the current evidence.

methodsSince holistic apitherapy is only promoted in books and apitherapeutical congresses, we identified books on the topic in English, French, and German language via bookseller platforms and the JUSTfind system of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Germany, which comprises 337 databases from the EBSCO Discovery Service.

resultsOnly 29.5% (n = 38) of the apitherapy books mentioned the topic of menopausal problems. Among these, there were 24 different recommendations. Royal jelly is the number one recommended therapy, followed by pollen, the combination of pollen and royal jelly, and propolis. All other recommendations are mentioned just once. The recommendation regarding royal jelly must be regarded as correct. Strictly speaking, evidence regarding bee-collected pollen is poor, since all studies on pollen did not investigate pollen directly, but pollen extracts and these pollens came from pollen that was anemophilous but not entomophilous.

conclusionRoyal jelly and pollen could be interesting treatment options in cases of menopausal symptoms. In order to promote bee products for menopausal symptoms with a good conscience trials, comparing bee products against other options, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, C. racemosa extracts, and/or yoga should be initiated, since these methods have already proven their value.

Indexed as

HoneyPollenAnimalsApitherapyBeesFatty AcidsFemaleGermanyHumansMenopausePropolisRoyal JellyFatty AcidsPropolisRoyal JellyApitherapyHoney pollenMenopausal problemsRoyal jelly

Identifiers

PMID32671547
OpenAlexW3042469341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.