--- title: Does Kamishoyosan, a Japanese herbal medicine, improve PMS symptoms? description: Kamishoyosan improved PMS symptoms in this study, with symptom scores decreasing significantly after 3 months. However, this was a small uncontrolled study wi url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/kampo-therapy-for-premenstrual-syndrome-efficacy-of-kamishoyosan-quantified-2007/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does Kamishoyosan, a Japanese herbal medicine, improve PMS symptoms? Non-randomised trial, 2007 # Does Kamishoyosan, a Japanese herbal medicine, improve PMS symptoms? Kamishoyosan improved PMS symptoms in this study, with symptom scores decreasing significantly after 3 months. However, this was a small uncontrolled study without a placebo group, so we cannot be sure the improvement was due to the herb rather than placebo effect. Early or limited evidence 45 women with PMS (mean age 32 plus or minus 6 years) ## What they did 45 women with PMS with a mean age of 32 years took Kamishoyosan for 3 months. At baseline, 1 month, and 3 months, researchers measured vascular age using a fingertip photoplethysmogram test and asked patients to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms. ## What they found In patients who had a vascular age older than their actual age before treatment, vascular age difference decreased significantly from 11.3 plus or minus 6.4 years at baseline to 6.6 plus or minus 6.7 years at 1 month and 6.1 plus or minus 6.0 years at 3 months (p less than 0.01). Self-assessment scores for the 5 most frequent symptoms improved from 13.4 plus or minus 3.3 at baseline to 10.7 plus or minus 3.9 at 1 month and 8.2 plus or minus 4.6 at 3 months (p less than 0.01). ## What it means for you Kamishoyosan appeared to reduce PMS symptoms and improved a measure of vascular health. However, this was a small study with no control group. The improvement could be due to placebo effect, and the vascular age measurement is not a standard way to assess PMS. Larger controlled studies are needed. 45 women with PMS 3 months of treatment 11.3 to 6.1 vascular age difference in years ## About the study Original title Kampo therapy for premenstrual syndrome: efficacy of Kamishoyosan quantified using the second derivative of the fingertip photoplethysmogram Authors Kimura Y, Takamatsu K, Fujii A et al. Journal The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research Year 2007 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 45 What was tested Kamishoyosan, a Japanese herbal medicine, for 3 months Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0756.2007.00531.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0756.2007.00531.x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/) 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 Systematic review, 2026 Which traditional Chinese medicine treatments work best for PMS? Randomised trial, 2025 Do essential oils reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Which is more effective for PMS - Vitagnus, soy, or both together? Randomised trial, 2025 Does the PMSoff supplement help PMS and PMDD symptoms? Randomised trial, 2024 Is Jiawei Xiaoyao pill effective and safe for treating premenstrual syndrome? Randomised trial, 2024 Is Ganyushu Granule effective and safe for premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗