French Oak Wood Extract May Help Improve Recovery Following Hysterectomy

A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a woman's uterus. Complete recovery following a hysterectomy takes from 6 to 8 weeks. A recent study has found that supplementation with French oak wood extract following a hysterectomy may help improve post-surgery recovery.

Sixty-six women who had just undergone hysterectomy surgery participated in the study. Half of them took 300mg of French oak wood extract daily for 8 weeks. The other half took a placebo. Participants completed the SF-36 questionnaire at baseline, week 4, and week 8. The SF-36 questionnaire evaluates patients’ perception of their health and well-being.

After 4 weeks of supplementation, participants in the French oak wood extract group saw greater improvements in physical and mental health recovery compared to the placebo group. They had an 18% improvement in the ability to perform physical tasks, compared to a 3% decrease in the placebo group. They also had a 17.5 % improvement in the ability to take part in social activities and a 12.5% improvement in energy and mood. In comparison, participants in the placebo group had a 7.4% decrease in the ability to take part in social activities and a 2.3% improvement in mood and energy.

The study was conducted by researchers from Comenius University. It was published on March 27, 2020 in the journal Nutrients.