Herbal treatments for alleviating premenstrual symptoms: a systematic review
Dante G, Facchinetti F
Published in Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Methodology
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials from electronic database searches covering January 1980 to September 2010; quality assessed with the Jadad scale plus evaluation of PMS/PMDD diagnostic criteria.
Key Findings
From 102 articles, 17 randomised controlled trials of herbal remedies for premenstrual syndrome were eligible and 10 were included, with quality rated on the Jadad scale; heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. Vitex agnus castus was the most studied remedy (four trials, about 500 women) and consistently improved premenstrual symptoms more than placebo. Single trials supported Ginkgo biloba and Crocus sativus, whereas evening primrose oil and St John's Wort performed no better than placebo. No major health risks were reported, though sample sizes were too small for firm safety conclusions.
Conclusions
Vitex agnus castus consistently ameliorated PMS better than placebo, while neither evening primrose oil nor St. John's Wort differed from placebo.
Limitations
Narrative synthesis only, as the populations, designs and outcome reporting were too heterogeneous to pool; most included trials were small and of variable methodological quality.
Supplements Studied
neither evening primrose oil nor St. John's Wort show an effect different than placebo.
Vitex agnus castus was the more investigated remedy (four trials, about 500 women), and it was reported to consistently ameliorate PMS better than placebo
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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