Avicenna J Phytomed, 2018, Volume 8; Issue 2: Pages 96 - 113.

The effectiveness and safety of Iranian herbal medicines for treatment of premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review.

Maleki-Saghooni, N. Karimi, F.Z. Moghadam, Z.B. Najmabadi, K.M.

Key Findings

A systematic literature review was conducted to December 2017. If the selected articles met the following criteria, they were included in this review: 1) Conducted on the humans. 2) Being a randomized controlled trial (RCTs). 3) Performed by Iranian authors using Iran native plants. 4) Female participants of reproductive age with premenstrual disorders who experienced at least one symptohappening periodically during day 0 to 14 before menstruation, for at least three menstrual cycles. 5) Interventions consisted of any formulation of Iranian herbal medicine including oral preparations, decoctions, injections, and tablets. Comparison groups could comprise of a placebo or some other interventions. Evaluations of the effect of a specific herbal medicine versus another herbal medicine were also included.   For flaxseed, one study showed that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was significantly improved during the first and the second month after the treatment. The mean total PMS scores were significantly lower than those of the control group that received placebo. A further study showed that PMS was significantly improved in a flaxseed fed group during the first and the second month after the treatment. And again, mean total PMS scores were significantly lower in control group that received placebo. The authors concluded that flaxseed as well as other herbal medicines can benefit PMS.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common problems among women of reproductive age. The popularity of complementary/alternative therapies has grown in recent years, and these treatments have been more commonly used by women (48.9%) than men (37.8%). The aim of this systematic review was to assess effectiveness and safety of Iranian herbal medicines for treatment of premenstrual syndrome. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were searched along with SID, Magiran and Irandoc up to Dec 2017. Inclusion criteria consist of Iranian, published, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Iranian herbal medicine for treatment of reproductive age women with PMS. Eventually Eighteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Results: Overall, studies have shown that Vitex agnuscastus, Hypericum perforatum, Matricaria chamomilla, saffron, Curcumin, Melissa officinalis, Zataria multiflora, Wheat Germ Extract, Echinophora platyloba, Foeniculum vulgare, Valerian root extract, Citrus sinensis, Zingiber officinale and Flax seed might alleviate symptoms of PMS. Conclusion: This research demonstrated efficacy and safety of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating PMS. Therefore, herbal medicine can be regarded as an alternative treatment for women suffering from PMS.

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