--- title: Is chamomile extract more effective than mefenamic acid for premenstrual syndrome? description: Yes, for emotional symptoms. Chamomile reduced emotional symptoms by about 30 to 33 percent while mefenamic acid reduced them by about 11 percent. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparison-of-the-effects-of-matricaria-chamomila-chamomile-extract-and-2014-e6ed98/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is chamomile extract more effective than mefenamic acid for premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2014 # Is chamomile extract more effective than mefenamic acid for premenstrual syndrome? Yes, for emotional symptoms. Chamomile reduced emotional symptoms by about 30 to 33 percent while mefenamic acid reduced them by about 11 percent. Moderate study design 90 students living in dormitories in Iran with premenstrual syndrome ## What they did A randomized double-blind trial with 90 students living in dormitories in Iran. Women filled daily forms for 2 months to confirm PMS diagnosis. Then they received either chamomile 100mg or mefenamic acid 250mg three times daily for 2 menstrual cycles. ## What they found Emotional symptom reduction was 30.1 ± 26.6 and 33.4 ± 25.3 percent in the chamomile group compared to 11.6 ± 25.7 and 10.7 ± 26.8 percent in the mefenamic acid group after two cycles of treatment. ## What it means for you Chamomile may work better than mefenamic acid for emotional symptoms specifically. However, the study only measured emotional relief and was limited to Iranian students. 90 students in study 100mg chamomile dose per dose 250mg mefenamic acid dose per dose ## About the study Original title Comparison of the effects of Matricaria chamomila (Chamomile) extract and mefenamic acid on the intensity of premenstrual syndrome Authors Sharifi F, Simbar M, Mojab F et al. Journal Complementary therapies in clinical practice Year 2014 Study design Randomised trial Participants 90 What was tested Chamomile extract 100mg three times daily or mefenamic acid 250mg three times daily for 2 menstrual cycles Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.09.002](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2013.09.002) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/) 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 Systematic review, 2013 Does Vitex (chaste tree) help PMS and PMDD symptoms? Systematic review, 2008 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? Systematic review, 2007 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Guideline, 2017 How should premenstrual disorders be managed? Randomised trial, 2014 Is chamomile as effective as mefenamic acid for breast pain associated with PMS? Survey study, 2024 What do pharmacy students know about using herbs for PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗