Comparative Study on the Effect of Matricaria chamomile and Achillea millefolium Capsules on Primary Dysmenorrhea Intensity of Dormitory Students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, 2018

Background: Menstrual pain is the most common pain and one of the main causes of referral to a doctor among young women. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) and Matricaria chamomile plants to treat menstrual pain.

Methods: This double-blind randomized controlled trial study was performed on 50 female students of Kurdistan Medical Sciences residing in dormitory in 2018. Individuals were randomly divided into two groups of chmomile and yarrow using sealed envelopes. Twenty for people received 250 mg chamomile capsules every 8 hours and 26 people received 150 mg hydroalcoholic capsules of yarrow every 8 hours during the first three days of menstruation in two menstrual cycles. The data collection tool was a questionnaire and the severity of pain was assessed using visual analogue scale for the pain (VAS).

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of pain severity and duration of pain before taking the drug (p > 0.05). The average pain severity in the first menstrual cycle in the two groups decreased significantly (p< 0.05), which was more noticeable in the yarrow group. However, the average pain severity in the yarrow capsule group was lower than that of the chamomile capsule group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Both capsules of yarrow and chamomile reduce the severity of pain, but the yarrow capsule, with its long-lasting sedative effect, proved more helpful to reduce the severity of menstrual pain and could be effective in solving one of the issues among women.