---
title: Does peppermint oil reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora
description: Yes. Peppermint oil significantly reduced PMS severity compared to placebo, with only about 2 women needing treatment for every 1 who benefited.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-peppermint-oil-on-premenstrual-syndrome-a-randomized-double-blind-2019/
---

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- Does peppermint oil reduce PMS symptoms?

Randomised trial, 2019

# Does peppermint oil reduce PMS symptoms?

Yes. Peppermint oil significantly reduced PMS severity compared to placebo, with only about 2 women needing treatment for every 1 who benefited.

 Moderate study design

50 high school students with PMS in Babol, Iran

## What they did

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 50 high school students with PMS in Iran were assigned to take either peppermint oil capsules (Colpermin, 187 mg peppermint oil) or placebo twice daily from day 15 of one menstrual cycle to day 1 of the next cycle for 2 cycles. PMS was assessed using Delany's PMS checklist.

## What they found

PMS score decreased from 30.3±10.1 to 15.5±6.0 in the peppermint oil group and from 23.2±7.0 to 20.7±8.0 in the placebo group over 2 cycles. Mean difference between groups was -9.77 (95% CI: -12.52 to -7.02, P<0.0001). Number needed to treat was approximately 2.

## What it means for you

Peppermint oil capsules appear to be safe and effective at reducing PMS severity, meaning roughly 2 women need treatment for 1 to see significant improvement. The study was small (50 people) and included only high school students in Iran, so results may not apply to all women.

50

High school students studied

187 mg

Peppermint oil per capsule

NNT=2

Number needed to treat

## About the study

Original title Effect of Peppermint Oil on Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study Authors Mouloud Agajani Delavar, Soheila Ebrahimi, Sedigheh Esmaeilzadeh et al. Journal Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal Year 2019 Study design Randomised trial Participants 50 What was tested Colpermin peppermint oil capsules (187 mg) twice daily from day 15 of menstrual cycle to day 1 of next cycle for 2 cycles Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.84657](https://doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.84657)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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