PreventDisease.com - Herbal Supplement Eases PMS Symptoms



		Herbal Supplement Eases PMS Symptoms NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An herbal extract used in ancient times to douse women's sexual desire may serve a more modern purpose. The chasteberry, also known as agnus castus, appears to relieve many of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), German researchers report. In a trial comparing the effects of agnus castus supplements with an inactive placebo, investigators found that the supplement significantly reduced PMS symptoms such as irritability, headache, mood swings and breast tenderness. Agnus castus is a flowering shrub, the fruit of which is used for supplements. Dr. Rudiger Schellenberg and colleagues at the Institute for Health Care and Science in Huttenberg studied 170 women with PMS. Over three menstrual cycles, half of the women took agnus castus supplements, while the rest received a placebo. The supplement turned out to be superior in relieving several common PMS symptoms, according to a report in the January 20th issue of the British Medical Journal. More than half of the women on agnus castus reported a 50% or greater reduction in their symptoms, compared with 24% of those on placebo. While extract of agnus castus is already a popular PMS treatment in Germany, the supplement has rarely been studied in placebo-controlled trials, Schellenberg told Reuters Health. Exactly why the supplement helps is unclear, he said, but research suggests it regulates levels of prolactin, a hormone that rises during pregnancy to stimulate milk production. In non-pregnant women, elevated levels of prolactin may contribute to breast pain and other PMS symptoms. The other advantage of agnus castus, Schellenberg noted, is that there appear to be no significant side effects with the 20-milligram per day dose used in the study. Four women on the supplement reported mild side effects, while three women on placebo did. The study was funded by Zeller AG, which supplied the product and sponsored the study through the Clinical Research Organization Praxis Klinische Arzneimittelforschung in Polheim, Germany. SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001;322:134-137. Reference Source 89 For more information on how to prevent cancer, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".