Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:Dysmenorrhoea is painful uterine cramps of menstrual origin and is the most common gynaecological complaint in women. It has a highly prevalent in women of reproductive age and is responsible for a decrease in quality of life, absence from work or school, reduced participation in sport and social activities. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a monocotyledonous in the family Zingiberaceae originating from southeast Asia, with a complex mixture of pharmacological compounds containing several hundred known constituents, including gingerols, beta-carotene, capsaicin, caffeic acid, curcumin, and salicylate.
Objectives: This review to evaluate the current evidence for the effectiveness of ginger for treating dysmenorrhea.
Methods: Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical Databases(CBM)) were searched from their inception until January 2020. English publications and randomized controlled trials comparing ginger against placebo or active treatment in people with dysmenorrhea were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Handbook Version 5.1.0. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan version 5.3. Outcomes of interest included pain severity, severity of dysmenorrhea.
Results: In this systematic review, a total of eight articles were included, involving 903 participants. The quality of the included studies ranged from moderate to high. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with the placebo group, significant effects of ginger were observed on reducing pain severity (mean difference(MD) = -1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.51 to -0.94, P < 0.05), ). No significant difference was found between ginger and Nonsteroidal drugs group in the people’s severity of dysmenorrhea (p>.05).
Conclusions: Available evidence suggest that ginger could be an effective treatment for menstrual pain in dysmenorrhea. However, we should interpret the findings of these reviews with caution, considering the small number of studies and overall limited methodological quality.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: Not application
Objectives: This review to evaluate the current evidence for the effectiveness of ginger for treating dysmenorrhea.
Methods: Five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical Databases(CBM)) were searched from their inception until January 2020. English publications and randomized controlled trials comparing ginger against placebo or active treatment in people with dysmenorrhea were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Handbook Version 5.1.0. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan version 5.3. Outcomes of interest included pain severity, severity of dysmenorrhea.
Results: In this systematic review, a total of eight articles were included, involving 903 participants. The quality of the included studies ranged from moderate to high. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with the placebo group, significant effects of ginger were observed on reducing pain severity (mean difference(MD) = -1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.51 to -0.94, P < 0.05), ). No significant difference was found between ginger and Nonsteroidal drugs group in the people’s severity of dysmenorrhea (p>.05).
Conclusions: Available evidence suggest that ginger could be an effective treatment for menstrual pain in dysmenorrhea. However, we should interpret the findings of these reviews with caution, considering the small number of studies and overall limited methodological quality.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: Not application