Effect of oral and topical ginger on primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic reviewGinger and Primary Dysmenorrhea

Introduction

Primary dysmenorrhoea (PD) is a common problem among women in their reproductive years that can negatively impact their quality of life. The present systematic review aimed to summarise the reported experimental and semi-experimental studies on the effects of different methods of oral and topical ginger to treat PD.

Methods

A literature search was performed using various databases with no language restrictions; and without any time limitation, until May 2023. The inclusion criteria of the articles included all clinical trials and semi-experimental studies conducted on humans in which ginger was used alone or in combination with other methods for pain relief of dysmenorrhoea.

Results

The review of 60 eligible articles showed that ginger is more effective than placebo in relieving pain, and there was no significant difference between ginger and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Most studies showed that the effects of oral ginger in the treatment of PD are greater than other herbal medicines. Most of the studies that compared oral ginger with exercise and micronutrients (including vitamin E, vitamin D, and zinc sulphate) showed a similar or superior effect of ginger. All studies conducted on topical ginger demonstrated the greater effect of its use compared to other methods.

Conclusion

There is a promising paradigm of the effect of oral and topical ginger as a potentially effective treatment for pain relief in PD. However, due to the many shortcomings in the existing studies, the findings should be interpreted with caution and more high-quality studies seem to be necessary.