Chamomile Tea for Relief of Primary Dysmenorrhea
Published in 2010, this study by E. Jenabi and S. Ebrahimzadeh examined whether chamomile tea could reduce symptoms associated with primary dysmenorrhea among university students in western Iran. Eighty students were divided into equal study and control groups. The intervention group drank two cups of chamomile tea per day from one week before menstruation through the first five days of the menstrual cycle over a three-month period.
What the study did and found
The study enrolled 80 students at Toyserkan Azad University in western Iran and divided them into two equal groups. Participants assigned to the study group drank two cups of chamomile tea daily, beginning one week before menstruation and continuing through the first five days of the menstrual cycle for three months.
Outcomes were assessed using the McGill Pain Questionnaire, a Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Psychophysiologic Life Adaptation Scale. Assessments took place before the intervention and at months one and three. The researchers used Wilcoxon and chi-square tests.
After one month, the intervention and control groups differed significantly in menstrual pain, distress and anxiety. The authors also reported significant differences in the combined questionnaire results at months one and three, with p < 0.001. They concluded that chamomile tea could help relieve primary dysmenorrhea and associated psychosocial symptoms.
Why it is cited
The paper is an early intervention study directly examining chamomile tea for primary dysmenorrhea rather than describing its traditional use alone. The three-month regimen included pain-related and psychosocial outcomes.
The reported schedule—two cups daily from one week before menstruation through the first five days of the cycle—makes the timing clear. However, the English abstract does not report the underlying scores or effect sizes, so it does not establish the magnitude of clinical benefit.
The English abstract describes a semi-experimental study involving 80 university students and reports statistically significant differences between the study and control groups. Although it states that participants were randomly divided, it gives limited information about how group assignment was implemented. The abstract does not specify a standardized chamomile dose, preparation method, placebo procedure, blinding, adherence, attrition or adverse events. It also omits effect sizes and numerical questionnaire scores. These reporting gaps limit conclusions about reproducibility, clinical importance and safety. |
The topic today
The study remains an early example of clinical research on a herbal intervention for menstrual symptoms. Its contribution is the reported comparison of chamomile tea with a control group across repeated assessments over three menstrual cycles.
Current interpretation distinguishes statistical significance from the size of benefit and considers the limitations of the reported design. Individual treatment decisions, contraindications and possible interactions require current clinical evidence beyond this historical abstract.