--- title: Does lemon balm capsule or educational support work better for reducing PMS symptoms? description: Yes, both lemon balm capsules and educational support programs significantly reduced physical, mental, and social PMS symptoms compared to placebo and no trea url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparison-of-the-effect-of-melissa-officinalis-capsule-and-care-educational-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does lemon balm capsule or educational support work better for reducing PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2017 # Does lemon balm capsule or educational support work better for reducing PMS symptoms? Yes, both lemon balm capsules and educational support programs significantly reduced physical, mental, and social PMS symptoms compared to placebo and no treatment. We can be fairly confident because this was a well-designed randomized controlled trial with 200 women tracked over 3 months. Moderate study design 200 high school girls with PMS in Shiraz, Iran ## What they did Randomized placebo-controlled trial with 200 high school girls with PMS in four groups. One took 600 mg lemon balm daily for entire menstrual cycle for 3 consecutive cycles. One received educational support programs. One took placebo. One received no treatment. Researchers measured symptoms at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months after intervention. ## What they found All treatment groups showed significant reductions in physical, psychological, and social symptoms of PMS at all three measurement times. The control and placebo groups had the least improvement in symptoms over time, with much less change than the treatment groups. ## What it means for you For reducing PMS symptoms, both taking lemon balm supplements and receiving educational support about PMS appear to help. The study was large with 200 women and well-structured with multiple comparison groups. Main limitations are that it only included high school girls in one city in Iran, so results may not apply to all women or different age groups. 600 mg Daily lemon balm dose 3 cycles Duration of lemon balm treatment 200 Total number of girls studied ## About the study Original title Comparison of the Effect of Melissa officinalis Capsule and Care Educational Programs on the Intensity of Physical, Mental and Social Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome in High School Female Students Authors Marzieh Akbarzadeh, Zeinab Moshfeghy, Mansureh Dehghani et al. Journal International Journal of Women s Health and Reproduction Sciences Year 2017 Study design Randomised trial Participants 200 What was tested Lemon balm capsule 600 mg daily for entire menstrual cycle for 3 consecutive cycles, or care educational programs Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.15296/ijwhr.2018.05](https://doi.org/10.15296/ijwhr.2018.05) Original abstract Objectives: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the psychosomatic problems related to women›s reproductive function, which is associated with emotional and mood symptoms such as anger, anxiety and irritability.The current study aimed to compare the effect of Melissa officinalis capsule and care educational programs on the intensity of physical, mental and social aspects of PMS in high school girls. Materials and Methods:This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial which was conducted on 200 high school girls with PMS who were randomly allocated into 4 groups in Shiraz.The first group received 600 mg of M. officinalis essence daily from the first to the end day of their menstrual cycle for 3 consecutive cycles; the second and third groups received care educational program and placebo respectively, and the last one was the control group.The data were analyzed using paired t test and Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results:The results of repeated measures ANOVA test revealed a significant reduction in 3 determined times, pre-intervention, one and 2 consecutive months after the intervention (P < 0.001), in the intensity of physical, psychological and social aspects of PMS symptoms, and this varied in different groups (P < 0.001).The extent of changes varied over time and in different groups, so, the control and placebo groups had the least symptom changes over the time Conclusion: Melissa officinalis capsule and care educational programs were much more effective in reduction of the severity of physical, mental and social symptoms of PMS compared to the control and placebo groups. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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 Study, 2026 How common is premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls? Survey study, 2020 What attitudes do teenage girls have about premenstrual syndrome, and what affects them? Non-randomised trial, 2018 Does counseling reduce PMS in teenage girls? Survey study, 2017 How common is premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls and what methods do they use to cope? Survey study, 2015 How common is PMS in teenage school girls in an urban city in India? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗