Abstract
M.Tech. (Homoeopathy)
Primary dysmenorrhoea is a common gynaecological complaint experienced by many females in
their reproductive years, and is defined as cyclic pain of uterine origin, without any identifiable
pelvic pathology. Primary dysmenorrhoea typically presents with cramping pain felt in the lower
back and abdomen during menses, and is thought to be a consequence of endometrial ischaemia
and an increased release of inflammatory mediators. There is an increasing demand for
alternative treatment options, including the use of medicinal plants. Numerous medicinal plants
have been identified for their ability to decrease prostaglandin activity and uterine contractility;
and to treat the symptoms and complications of primary dysmenorrhoea. In South Africa there
are a number of practitioners and traditional healers that make use of medicinal plants in the
treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea. However, there is a lack of reliable, verifiable data to date,
on the efficacy of medicinal plants that are used to treat this particular condition, in the South
African setting.
The aim of this systematic review is to determine, evaluate and integrate evidence on medicinal
plants that are used to treat primary dysmenorrhoea, in both clinical and experimental studies.
A systematic literature review was conducted based on available articles and journals sourced
from electronic databases; the search identified any English literature (from 2008 to 2016)
pertaining to the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea. The
Cochrane collaboration guidelines for methodology were followed to ensure a high quality
systematic review.
A total of 405 studies on medicinal plants used for primary dysmenorrhoea were retrieved via the
electronic literature search, and nine studies were identified through other sources by handsearching
of citations and references. Duplicates were removed and an overall of 279 studies
remained. Of these, 252 studies were excluded after screening the title and abstract and 27 full
text articles were included and assessed for eligibility; a further five articles were excluded with
reason (use of decoctions and/or herbal complexes). All randomised clinical trials (RCTs) were
assessed for eligibility by two reviewers.
In the systematic review it is clear that a number of herbal medicines have been widely studied in
the treatment of this condition. High quality evidence was found for Zingiber officinale (four
RCTs included for review), Foeniculum vulgare, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Trigonella foenum...