Randomised trial, 2015
Does curcumin reduce the severity of PMS symptoms?
Yes, curcumin significantly reduced PMS symptom severity from 102 to 42 points, while placebo only reduced it from 106 to 92, showing curcumin works better than placebo. A clear difference was found between the two groups.
What they did
A trial with 35 women in each group (curcumin and placebo). Women took two capsules daily for 7 days before their period and 3 days after for three menstrual cycles. They recorded their PMS symptoms daily.
What they found
At baseline, PMS scores were similar between groups (curcumin 102.06, placebo 106.06). After three cycles, the curcumin group's PMS score fell to 42.47 and the placebo group's fell to 91.60. The difference between how much each group improved was significant.
What it means for you
Curcumin may genuinely help reduce PMS symptoms, not just through placebo effect. This is a small study with only 70 women, and we do not know how long benefits last after stopping curcumin.
102.06 to 42.47
PMS score change with curcumin
106.06 to 91.60
PMS score change with placebo
3 cycles
treatment duration
About the study
- Original title
- Curcumin attenuates severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Authors
- Khayat S, Fanaei H, Kheirkhah M et al.
- Journal
- Complementary therapies in medicine
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 35
- What was tested
- Curcumin capsules, two daily for 7 days before and 3 days after menstruation for three cycles.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2015.04.001
Topics
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