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The Effects of Peppermint on Menstrual Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

  • 2025-11
  • Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research 30(6)
    • Yegane Lagzian
    • Fariba Askari
    • Rahele Mehrabi

Study Design

Type
Review
Sample size
n = 499
Population
499 participants (from five RCTs)
Methods
systematic review; comprehensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, and Google Scholar without any limitations until July 31, 2023; quality assessed using Jadad scale

Background

Various aspects of women's functioning are affected by menstrual disorders. There are various treatment methods to control these conditions. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of peppermint on menstrual disorders.

Materials and methods

A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, and Google Scholar without any limitations until July 31, 2023. To identify those studies that were consistent with the main purpose of this review, the search focused on the keywords "menstruation disorders," "Mentha piperita," and their other synonyms in the title and abstract of the articles. Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad scale.

Results

A total of 238 articles were retrieved. After removing duplicates and irrelevant studies, 146 articles remained. After evaluating the titles and abstracts, the full text of the remaining eight articles was evaluated. At this stage, one article was excluded due to being in the Malay language, and two articles were excluded due to the use of water mint species. Finally, five Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) with a total of 499 participants were included. The quality rating of the included trials indicates that three studies were of high quality, and two studies were of low quality. The studies examined primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome. Statistically significant reductions in pain severity, improved cognitive function, and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that peppermint may be effective in improving menstrual disorders. However, high-quality RCTs that overcome the methodological limitations of the current studies are needed.

Research Insights

  • Peppermint→Improved Cognitive Function

    Statistically significant reductions in pain severity, improved cognitive function, and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
  • Peppermint→Improved Gastrointestinal Symptoms

    Statistically significant reductions in pain severity, improved cognitive function, and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
  • Peppermint→Reduced Pain Severity

    Statistically significant reductions in pain severity, improved cognitive function, and gastrointestinal symptoms were observed.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
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