The Claim

Eurycoma longifolia water extract (Physta®) at a dose of 100 mg/day for 12 weeks showed no statistically significant benefit on mood disturbance in menopausal women compared to placebo, with reductions in mood disturbance scores of 38.6% and 30.1% respectively (p = 0.235).

Source: Effect of <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> water extract (Physta <sup>®</sup> ) on menopausal quality of life and mood states

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
90score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In a 12-week study, women going through menopause took either a supplement made from the herb Eurycoma longifolia or a fake supplement with no active ingredient. Both groups felt their mood problems get better, but the supplement group did not improve more than the fake supplement group. So the supplement did not have a real effect on mood.

See the scientific wording

In a 12-week randomized trial, 100 mg/day of Eurycoma longifolia water extract (Physta®) showed no statistically significant benefit on mood disturbance in menopausal women, with a 38.6% decrease in mood disturbance scores compared to a 30.1% decrease with placebo (p=0.235), indicating that the extract did not have a measurable mood-enhancing effect over placebo in this population.

Why this might work

The plant extract’s natural chemicals enter the body and affect some hormone-making glands. This causes a small, short-lived increase in a hormone called progesterone. The increase does not last—by the end of the 12 weeks, progesterone is back to normal, and another hormone, testosterone, does not change. The extract also helps with some menopausal discomforts like physical tiredness and sexual issues, but the hormone changes are too brief and weak to affect the brain’s mood-control areas. So, mood disturbance improves the same whether a woman takes the extract or a dummy pill.

Suggested mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Effect of <i>Eurycoma longifolia</i> water extract (Physta <sup>®</sup> ) on menopausal quality of life and mood states

    The study tested the supplement and found that although women taking it felt a bit better in mood than those on a fake pill, the difference was too small to be sure it wasn't just chance, so the supplement didn't clearly help mood.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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