New Shatavari Clinical Trial Reports Symptom Improvements Across 12 Perimenopause Domains

A new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on aspurūs, a proprietary Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) root extract from Waleria Healthtech, reports statistically significant reductions in vasomotor, psychological, cognitive, and physical perimenopausal symptoms over a 12-week intervention, with some improvements appearing within 2 weeks.¹

Researchers screened 250 women and randomized 150 eligible perimenopausal participants, ages 38 to 54, at 2 hospital-based sites in India between June and September 2025: 73 received 500 mg/day of aspurūs Shatavari root extract and 72 received a matching placebo, with 145 (96.7%) completing the 84-day intervention and all 150 analyzed by intention to treat.¹

On the primary endpoint, the Menopause Symptom Severity Inventory (MSSI-38), the active group's Day 84 frequency score was 30.71 (±17.09) versus 65.54 (±28.32) for placebo, and the intensity score was 23.81 (±12.11) versus 69.74 (±28.97), both differences statistically significant at p<0.001.¹

Secondary endpoints included hot flushes and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), both improved versus placebo, and serum FSH and LH declined significantly (p<0.05); no adverse events were reported.¹

Waleria Healthtech, which describes itself as a women-first, women-owned-supply-chain ingredient company, announced the results ahead of showcasing aspurūs at SupplySide Global.

"Perimenopause is a highly individual experience, and women rarely experience the same journey," said Komal Baldwa, the company's founder, in the announcement.² "We elevated the study design to evaluate both the frequency and intensity of symptoms across multiple domains, reflecting the experience of modern perimenopausal women."

That design choice is the study's most distinctive feature: rather than simply counting symptom episodes, a common approach in menopause research, the trial scored how severely each symptom was experienced, which the company argues produces a more consumer-relevant picture of symptom burden.

Why Does Measuring Symptom Intensity, Not Just Frequency, Matter?

The announcement draws a specific methodological distinction: one woman may experience a single, prolonged hot flash, while another experiences several brief ones, and a frequency count alone treats those as equivalent even though the lived experience differs.²

By applying the MSSI-38, which scores intensity alongside frequency across domains including vasomotor, psychological, physical, and sexual symptoms, along with supplementary scales for hot flash-specific and sexual function outcomes, the study aims to capture a more complete symptom picture than trials that report only how often symptoms occurred.³

Whether that approach yields meaningfully different or more clinically actionable conclusions than frequency-based trials has not been independently established, since it depends on how the intensity items are scored and validated, a question the MSSI-38's original validation literature addresses but that individual industry-sponsored trials do not typically revisit.³

How Does This Trial Fit Into the Broader Evidence Base for Menopause Supplements?

Botanical ingredients marketed for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms have historically been studied less rigorously and less frequently than options like calcium, vitamin D, and soy isoflavones, and perimenopause specifically remains underrepresented in the supplement research literature relative to postmenopause.⁴

Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, but isn't appropriate for every patient.⁵ The North American Menopause Society's 2023 position statement on nonhormone therapies does not include most botanical supplements among its recommended options, citing insufficient or inconsistent evidence.⁶

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial specifically in perimenopausal women, rather than the postmenopausal populations more commonly studied, addresses a genuine gap in the literature, independent of how the topline percentage figures are ultimately interpreted.

What Are the Limitations of This Research?

Even with strong p-values, some caveats remain. The trial was conducted at only 2 sites in a single country, India, over one 12-week window, which limits how confidently the results generalize to other populations or longer time horizons; the study also does not report whether it was prospectively registered in a public clinical trials database.

The 96.7% completion rate (145 of 150 randomized) is high and reduces concern about differential dropout, and the intention-to-treat analysis across all 150 participants is a methodological strength relative to studies that analyze only per-protocol completers.

Still, as with most single-sponsor trials, the study's design and interpretation come from a team associated with the ingredient's own development, and independent replication at additional sites would strengthen confidence in the hormonal findings in particular, since serum FSH and LH changes from a botanical intervention are a notable claim that merits scrutiny beyond a single trial.

References

1. Surampalli G, S M, Mudhigonda M. Efficacy and safety of Shatavari root extract in managing peri-menopausal symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Diet Suppl. 2026;23(4):490-518. doi:10.1080/19390211.2026.2689348

2. Aspurūs Shatavari clinical study shows early improvements across multiple peri-menopausal outcomes. Waleria Healthtech. August 26, 2026. Accessed August 28, 2026. Press release provided via email.

3. Pimenta F, Leal I, Maroco J, Ramos C. Menopause Symptoms' Severity Inventory (MSSI-38): assessing the frequency and intensity of symptoms. Climacteric. 2012;15(2):143-152. doi:10.3109/13697137.2011.590617

4. Canino MC, Cohen B, Byrd C, Gahche JJ. Dietary supplements for menopausal symptoms and health: a bibliometric analysis of US research (2000-2024). Menopause. Published online ahead of print 2026. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000002853

5. Crandall CJ, Mehta JM, Manson JE. Management of menopausal symptoms: a review. JAMA. 2023;329(5):405-420. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.24140

6. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2023;30(6):573-590. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000002200