Natural Combo Relieves PMS

Premenstrual syndrome affects nearly half of all women in the world during their reproductive years. The discomfort can profoundly affect quality of life. This novel natural combination can help, according to a new study.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) usually occurs in the week before menstruation and can include bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, palpitations, depression, irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings and even suicidal thoughts.

Conventional medicine treats women with PMS with NSAIDs, hormones and SSRI antidepressants. But these extreme measures commonly cause new problems, like weight gain, mood swings, and sexual dysfunction. Several natural herbs and supplements have demonstrated the ability to safely relieve the symptoms of PMS. This new study put a number of them together in a natural PMS combo.

The double-blind study gave 218 women with PMS either a placebo or a natural combination supplement. The supplement contained 50mg of lavender extract, 13mg of saffron extract, 40mg of valerian extract, 40mg of spirulina, 10mg of curcumin, 25mg of chamomile extract, 100mg of rose extract, 56mg of B1, 50mg of calcium citrate and 90mg extract of a herb called lesser dodder. The combo supplement was taken twice a day, starting 7 days before expected menstruation and continuing for 3 days after onset for two cycles.

PMS symptoms were measured on the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) questionnaire.
Improvement in DRSP scores was significantly better in the first month. The improvement was even more pronounced in the second month. In the placebo group, scores improved from 37.86 to 28.61 in the second month. But in the supplement group, scores improved much more from 43.28 to 21.02 in the second month.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a severe form of PMS that brings significant mood disturbances and functional impairment. When women with PMDD took a placebo, DRSP scores improved from 44.94 to 36.27. But in the supplement group, the improvement was a significantly better drop from 48.26 to 30.13.

This study suggests that a combination of natural supplements, each of which individually could help PMS, can offer safe, significant relief of the physical and psychological symptoms of PMS.

J Pharm Health Care Sci. 2025;11:88.