--- title: Does evening primrose help premenstrual syndrome? | Niyora description: Yes. Evening primrose 1000 mg twice daily for 2 months significantly reduced PMS severity compared to placebo, with few side effects. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-evening-primrose-on-premenstrual-syndrome-a-randomized-clinical-trial-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does evening primrose help premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2018 # Does evening primrose help premenstrual syndrome? Yes. Evening primrose 1000 mg twice daily for 2 months significantly reduced PMS severity compared to placebo, with few side effects. Moderate study design 80 female university students with premenstrual syndrome in Iran ## What they did Double-blind RCT with 80 female university students with PMS in Iran, randomly divided into two groups of 40. One group received evening primrose 1000 mg twice daily, the other received placebo for 2 months. Symptoms were assessed with daily symptom records and questionnaires. ## What they found PMS severity was significantly reduced in the evening primrose group, dropping from 61.45±21.25 to 21.38±9.05 (p<0.05). The placebo group also improved but not as much. Few side effects were reported. ## What it means for you Evening primrose appears effective for reducing PMS severity with minimal side effects. The study was limited to university students in Iran so results may not apply to other populations. Overall symptom severity improved but we don't know which specific symptoms (like mood, pain, or bloating) improved most. 80 Participants 1000mg, 2x daily Evening primrose dose 61.45 to 21.38 PMS severity score before/after ## About the study Original title Effect Of Evening Primrose On Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial Authors Seyedeh Zahra Masoumi Fatemeh Shobeiri Journal Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) Year 2018 Study design Randomised trial Participants 80 What was tested Evening primrose 1000 mg, 2 times per day for 2 months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1157976](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1157976) Original abstract Premenstrual syndrome is a set of physical and emotional psychological symptoms which occur periodically during the secretory phase of the menstrual period. This study was done to effect of Evening Primrose on premenstrual syndrome. This clinical double-blind study was conducted on 80 girls student suffered from premenstrual syndrome at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. The samples were then randomly divided in two 40- member groups, Evening Primrose (1000 mg, 2 times per day) and placebo (2 times per day) groups. The subjects were received the therapeutic regimen for 2 months. Data collection tools were collected using questionnaires, daily symptom records (DSR) questionnaires and adverse drug reaction questionnaires of participants before and after intervention were registered and compared. Analyses were carried out by Chi-square, paired t-test using SPSS /21.The result showed that after intervention, severity of premenstrual syndrome was reduced in Evening Primrose group (61.45±21.25 to 21.38±9.05) (P<0.05). Findings revealed that taking Evening Primrose can reduce severity of premenstrual syndrome. So, regarding the little side complications, consumption of Evening Primrose has a useful effect on premenstrual syndrome. Key words: Premenstrual Syndrome, Evening Primrose, Iran Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Evening primrose oil](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-evening-primrose/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Randomised trial, 2024 Does a herbal soft gel capsule with three oils reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2019 Do evening primrose oil or vitamin B6 ease PMS symptoms better than placebo? Study, 1998 Does diet and supplements help PMS? Survey study, 2024 What do pharmacy students know about using herbs for PMS? Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Randomised trial, 2026 Does calcium and vitamin D supplementation reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗