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Herbal remedies for hypothyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

  • 2024-10-19
  • Caspian journal of internal medicine 16(1)
    • Fatemeh Ghaffari-Saravi
    • Assie Jokar

Study Design

Type
Review
Methods
Systematic review and meta-analysis of papers published until end of 2022; searches in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus; quality assessed using JADAD scale; data on herbal interventions for hypothyroidism; meta-analysis with random or fixed effects models.

Background

Combination of various medical schools with modern medicine is one of the appropriate methods for diagnosing and treating diseases. Considering the expanded use of herbal remedies, this study aimed to investigate herbal remedies for hypothyroidism.

Methods

Keywords related to medicinal plants and hypothyroidism were searched among titles and abstracts of papers published on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to find relevant papers published until the end of 2022. The quality of the extracted papers was assessed using JADAD scale. The data collected from the papers included general information, demographic characteristics of the participants, sample size in each group, type and duration of the intervention, doses of the herbs or extracts, side effects, and the effects of the intervention on thyroid function tests. The I2 index was used to measure the heterogeneity of the papers; if I2 statistic was above 50% or under 50%, the results of the papers were combined using random effect or fixed effect methods, respectively.

Results

Five of the 301 papers extracted from the abovementioned databases were selected for systematic review and 4 for meta-analysis. Three of the papers were about the properties of Nigella sativa. The meta-analysis results showed that herbal medicines used in these papers significantly changed level of T4 (SMD=0.86 CI95%: 0.47-1.24), T3 (SMD=0.50 CI95%: 0.13-0.87), and TSH (SMD=-1.19 CI95%: -1.82-0.56) compared to placebo.

Conclusions

Herbal medicines improved the results of thyroid function tests; their effects on TSH, T3, and T4 were strong, moderate, and mild, respectively.

Research Insights

  • Black Cumin→Changed T3 Level

    herbal medicines used in these papers significantly changed level of T3 (SMD=0.50 CI95%: 0.13-0.87)

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
    Dose
    abstract does not specify dose per study
  • Black Cumin→Changed T4 Level

    herbal medicines used in these papers significantly changed level of T4 (SMD=0.86 CI95%: 0.47-1.24)

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Large
    Dose
    abstract does not specify dose per study
  • Black Cumin→Changed TSH Level

    herbal medicines used in these papers significantly changed level of TSH (SMD=-1.19 CI95%: -1.82-0.56)

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Large
    Dose
    abstract does not specify dose per study
  • Black Cumin→Increased Serum Free Thyroxine Levels

    The meta-analysis results showed that herbal medicines used in these papers significantly changed level of T4 (SMD=0.86 CI95%: 0.47-1.24), T3 (SMD=0.50 CI95%: 0.13-0.87), and TSH (SMD=-1.19 CI95%: -1.82-0.56) compared to placebo.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Large
    Dose
    not specified per individual study, but abstract mentions three papers about Nigella sativa
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