--- title: Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? description: Yes, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements appear effective in reducing PMS symptoms, especially physical symptoms. Adverse events were mild or absent url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis-of-premenstrual-syndrome-with-special-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Systematic review, 2022 # Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements appear effective in reducing PMS symptoms, especially physical symptoms. Adverse events were mild or absent in most trials. Strong study design 1211 patients with premenstrual syndrome across 15 randomized controlled trials ## What they did Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Screened 754 articles from multiple databases. Included 15 randomized controlled trials with 1211 total patients. Used standardized statistical methods to combine results across studies. ## What they found Interventions reduced overall PMS symptoms significantly. Physical symptoms improved most with large effect. Behavioral symptoms showed smaller improvements. Mood symptoms showed unclear improvement. Mild adverse events were reported in only 4 of the 15 trials. ## What it means for you Herbal medicines and nutritional supplements may be safe and effective for PMS, particularly physical symptoms like pain and bloating. The authors noted that the original studies were poor quality, and results varied between studies. More rigorous high-quality trials are needed to confirm these findings. 754 Articles screened 15 Randomized controlled trials included 1211 Total patients studied ## About the study Original title A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Premenstrual Syndrome with Special Emphasis on Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Supplements Authors Sultana A, Heyat MBB, Rahman K et al. Journal Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Year 2022 Study design Systematic review What was tested Herbal medicines and nutritional supplements Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/ph15111371](https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15111371) Original abstract Herbal medicine and nutritional supplements are suggested to treat premenstrual somatic and psycho-behavioural symptoms in clinical guidelines; nonetheless, this is at present based on poor-quality trial evidence. Hence, we aimed to design a systematic review and meta-analysis for their effectiveness in alleviating premenstrual symptoms. The published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were extracted from Google scholar, PubMed, Scopus and PROSPERO databases. The risk of bias in randomized trials was assessed by Cochrane risk-of-bias tool . The main outcome parameters were analysed separately based on the Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool and PMTS and DRSP scores. Secondary parameters of somatic, psychological, and behavioural subscale symptoms of PSST were also analysed. Data synthesis was performed assuming a random-effects model, and standardized mean difference (SMDs) was analysed using SPSS version 28.0.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). A total of 754 articles were screened, and 15 RCTs were included ( n = 1211 patients). Primary results for participants randomized to an intervention reported reduced PSST ( n = 9), PMTS ( n = 2), and DSR ( n = 4) scores with (SMD = -1.44; 95% CI: -1.72 to -1.17), (SMD = -1.69; 95% CI: -3.80 to 0.42) and (SMD = 2.86; 95% CI: 1.02 to 4.69) verses comparator with substantial heterogeneity. Physical (SMD = -1.61; 95% CI = -2.56 to -0.66), behavioural (SMD = -0.60; 95% CI = -1.55 to0.35) and mood (SMD = 0.57; 95% CI = -0.96 to 2.11) subscale symptom groupings of PSST displayed similar findings. Fifty-three studies ( n = 8) were considered at low risk of bias with high quality. Mild adverse events were reported by four RCTs. Based on the existing evidence, herbal medicine and nutritional supplements may be effective and safe for PMS. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2022 Do herbal medicines and nutritional supplements help relieve PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2010 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Systematic review, 2007 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2006 What herbs and dietary supplements have evidence for treating premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2000 Which dietary supplements help PMS? Systematic review, 2025 Do diet changes or supplements help PMS symptoms? 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