comparison the effects of ginger and curcumin in treatment of premenstrual syndrome

Background: Most women at reproductive ages experience the premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Different methods have been suggested for the treatment of this syndrome and one of them is using herbal medicine. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of ginger and curcumin on severity of symptoms of PMS. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 105 students with PMS symptoms were randomly assigned to ginger, curcumin and placebo groups. Participants received two capsules daily from seven days before menstruation to three days after menstruation for three cycles and they recorded severity of the symptoms by Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) questionnaire. Data of before interventions and 1, 2 and 3 months after interventions were analyzed by repeated measurement ANOVA and indepented t-test. SPSS-18 software was used for analyses and P<0/05 was considered significant. Results: The mean of PMS symptoms severity were similar in three groups before the intervention [( 110/2±30/7 in ginger group, 103/6±39/1 in curcumin group and106/7±44/65 in placebo group) p=0/79], but after interventions there were significant differences between groups [(47/06 ±33/4 in ginger group, 29/74±11/6 in curcumin group and106±48/7 in placebo group) P<0/0001]. Also, there was a significant difference between effects of curcumin and ginger (P=0/008). Conclusion: Ginger and curcumin are effective in reduction of severity of psychological, physical and behavioral symptoms of PMS and the effect of curcumin is more than ginger. Results of present study suggest curcumin and ginger as treatment for PMS.