Efficacy of ginger and fennel in relieving primary dysmenorrhea: A triple-blind crossover controlled trial.

Abstract

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea, characterized by painful menstrual cramps without underlying pelvic pathology, is common among young women and affects physical and emotional wellbeing. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of ginger and fennel in relieving primary dysmenorrhea.

Materials and methods: A triple-blind crossover clinical trial was conducted from October 2020 to March 2022 at one medical college and two schools in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, among 384 young women aged 18-26 years. Participants received ginger (500 mg), fennel (480 mg) or placebo capsules every 8 h during the first three days of menstruation for three cycles, with washout periods between interventions. Pain severity, intensity and duration were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and self-reported pain duration. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-tests in SPSS version 27, with a significance level set at P < 0.05.

Results: A total of 384 participants (mean age: 20.66 ± 1.66 years) completed the study. Ginger showed the greatest reduction in pain severity, with VAS scores decreasing from 6.14 ± 1.45 to 3.28 ± 1.21, followed by fennel (to 4.61 ± 1.26), while the placebo group showed minimal change (6.24 ± 1.51). Ginger also led to the most significant reduction in pain intensity (mean difference: 0.74 ± 0.61; P < 0.001) and duration (from 10.78 ± 5.24 to 5.60 ± 4.61 h/day; P < 0.001), outperforming both fennel and placebo. Statistical analyses confirmed significant between group differences (ANOVA F > 100, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Both ginger and fennel significantly alleviated menstrual pain in terms of severity, intensity and duration, with ginger demonstrating superior therapeutic benefits. These findings underscore the clinical potential of herbal interventions as effective, safe and culturally acceptable alternatives for managing primary dysmenorrhea, particularly in low-resource settings. Integration of such plant-based therapies into routine menstrual health care may reduce reliance on conventional medications and improve quality of life among affected women.