Fennel

Bowen Xu et al. (2026) · Frontiers in endocrinology

This open-label randomized trial at Shanghai East Hospital compared two approaches to primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping without an underlying pelvic disease) in 80 women aged 15 to 46: a Traditional Chinese Medicine protocol called Cai's Gynecology Cyclical Therapy, paired with a specific formula called the Stasis-Clearing and Meridian-Warming Method, versus standard ibuprofen. The TCM approach is built on a century-old idea from a Shanghai medical lineage: that treatment should change across the four phases of the menstrual cycle rather than staying the same throughout. Forty women received ibuprofen (a common anti-inflammatory pain reliever) for two days during each period, while the other forty received herbal decoctions -- different formulas depending on the cycle phase -- for three full menstrual cycles. Researchers tracked pain on a 0-to-10 visual pain scale and a symptom-severity score, and checked whether pain returned in the month after treatment ended. People collecting the follow-up data did not know which treatment each woman had received. Both treatments worked well overall (97.5% of women improved in each group), but the pattern of improvement differed. Ibuprofen relieved pain faster in the first month, as expected for a direct pain reliever. The herbal treatment started more slowly but kept improving month after month, and by the third month the two treatments were statistically equivalent on both pain and symptom scores. The most striking difference came after treatment stopped: only about 13% of the herbal-treatment group had their pain return the following month, compared to about 90% of the ibuprofen group. No side effects were reported in either group throughout the study. The researchers suggest this gap in relapse rates may reflect a real difference in how the two approaches work -- ibuprofen blocks pain-causing chemicals only while it is being taken, whereas the herbal protocol may produce a more lasting change. However, because patients and treating doctors could not be kept unaware of which treatment they were giving or receiving (an inherent challenge when comparing herbal decoctions to a standard pill), and because the study involved one hospital and a single follow-up cycle, the authors call for larger, multi-site studies with longer follow-up to confirm these findings.

Ramin Ansari et al. (2024) · Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 adults explored whether Mofatet powder — a six-herb formulation from Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) — could shrink existing calcium kidney stones, not just prevent new ones. TPM is a centuries-old medical system, described in texts by Rhazes and Avicenna, that combines specific plant combinations for named conditions; Mofatet powder is one such combination, traditionally taken as a boiled decoction of six seeds and fruits in equal parts. Kidney stones affect up to 15% of people worldwide, and most current drugs only stop new stones from forming rather than dissolving the ones already there. Researchers recruited 51 adults (mean age about 50) with confirmed calcium stones at least 5mm across, in Shiraz, Iran. Twenty-six received capsules of a freeze-dried extract of the six-herb blend (cucumber seed, pumpkin seed, celery seed, fennel seed, anise seed, and tribulus fruit) twice daily for 5 weeks; 25 received a matching placebo. Stone size was tracked by ultrasound imaging, alongside urine and blood chemistry. The herbal group's stones shrank by 60.73% on average, compared to just 2.52% in the placebo group (a highly significant difference, p<0.001), and two people's stones disappeared entirely versus none on placebo. Urinary magnesium — a mineral that normally helps stop stone-forming crystals from growing — rose by nearly 58% in the herbal group, while urinary calcium (a stone-forming risk factor) dropped. Urine also became less concentrated (lower specific gravity), which reduces the conditions that let crystals form in the first place. Importantly, kidney and liver function tests (BUN, creatinine, AST, ALT) showed no meaningful changes in either group, and no significant side effects were reported over the five weeks — though the herbal group did show a rise in blood calcium that the researchers did not fully explain. These findings suggest this traditional formulation could be a safe, complementary option for people managing calcium kidney stones, likely by making urine less prone to crystal formation rather than by dissolving stones directly. The trial was conducted at a single center with a modest number of participants over a short 5-week window, so the results need confirming in larger, longer studies before this becomes a routine recommendation.

Simin Sadat Motevalli Haghi et al. (2024) · Avicenna journal of phytomedicine

This triple-blinded randomized trial with 80 women explored whether combining two traditional Persian herbs — fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) fruit and Echium amoenum flower — could ease premenstrual syndrome (PMS), the cluster of physical and mood symptoms that appears in the two weeks before a period. The herbs were chosen because fennel contains phytoestrogens (plant compounds that mimic estrogen) and Echium amoenum has serotonergic effects (influencing serotonin, the neurotransmitter tied to mood and pain sensitivity) — both hormone and neurotransmitter shifts are suspected drivers of PMS. Eighty women aged 18 to 35 with confirmed PMS were randomly split into two groups at clinics in Mashhad, Iran. The treatment group took capsules combining Echium amoenum (2 grams daily) and fennel (1 gram daily) during the second half of their cycle for two consecutive months; the control group took matching placebo capsules. Symptoms were tracked with the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP), a validated scale covering mood, sleep, and physical symptoms across 11 categories, while overall quality of life was measured with the SF-36 survey before and after treatment. Women taking the herbal combination showed significantly greater improvement than the placebo group across every DRSP symptom category at both one and two months (p<0.05 for all comparisons, meaning the difference was unlikely due to chance). Notably, depression, concentration, appetite, sleep, and sense of control improved only in the herb group — the placebo group saw no change in these — while symptoms like anxiety and irritability improved somewhat in both groups. Quality of life rose meaningfully in seven of eight SF-36 domains, with the total quality-of-life score climbing from about 64 to 80 out of 100 in the herbal group versus no change on placebo. One safety signal emerged: menstrual bleeding volume increased in the treatment group compared to placebo (p<0.05), a side effect worth watching. These results suggest the fennel-Echium combination may offer real relief for PMS, particularly the mood and cognitive symptoms that placebo alone did not touch. However, the two groups differed at the study's start in age, weight, and other factors, which could have influenced the outcome, and the trial was conducted at clinics in a single city. The increased bleeding volume also needs monitoring in future use. Larger, multicenter trials with better-matched groups are needed to confirm the effect and pin down the ideal dose and treatment length.

Aliasghar Manouchehri et al. (2023) · JBRA assisted reproduction

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormone-related conditions affecting women of reproductive age, estimated to affect 4-25% of women depending on how it is diagnosed (14.6% in Iran). Beyond irregular periods and fertility struggles, PCOS often comes with insulin resistance, weight gain, acne, excess hair growth, and long-term metabolic risk. Because standard medications can carry side effects, researchers have looked to medicinal plants as gentler options. This review pulls together what is known about nine herbs -- from aloe vera to flax -- and how each is thought to act on the hormonal and metabolic disruptions behind PCOS. Unlike a systematic review with a registered search protocol, this is a narrative synthesis: the authors describe the proposed mechanism of each of nine plants -- aloe vera, chamomile, chaste tree, cinnamon, ginseng, stachys, fennel, liquorice, and flax -- based mainly on animal and laboratory studies rather than human clinical trials. Each plant's key active compound and hypothesized mechanism of action are summarized in a comparison table, covering effects on hormone levels, ovarian tissue, insulin sensitivity, and inflammation. Each herb is proposed to work differently. Cinnamon appears to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar and lipids by affecting insulin-receptor signaling. Chaste tree and fennel are proposed to shift the balance of reproductive hormones (chaste tree lowering testosterone, fennel raising progesterone and thickening the uterine lining). Flax's lignans are linked to lower androgen levels and less excess hair growth (hirsutism), while stachys is proposed to ease abnormal uterine bleeding by damping estrogen receptor activity. Chamomile and aloe vera are described as supportive of ovarian tissue and follicle development, and ginseng and liquorice are framed around broader immune and metabolic support. Importantly, the review does not report clinical trial results, statistics, or human outcome data for any of these plants -- the mechanisms described come mainly from animal models and lab studies, not from testing in women with PCOS. The authors see herbal medicine as a promising, low-side-effect complement to PCOS care, working mainly through immune support and cycle regulation rather than direct hormone replacement -- but they are careful to say more research time is needed. Because this is a synthesis of mostly preclinical and mechanistic findings, none of these nine plants can be considered proven PCOS treatments; each is better read as a lead for future controlled human trials than as an established remedy to try in place of medical care.

Yincong Xu et al. (2020) · The Journal of international medical research

Painful periods are one of the most common health complaints among women of reproductive age — affecting anywhere from 16% to 91% — and the standard treatment, anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen, fails for roughly one in four women. This 2020 meta-analysis pooled the randomized trial evidence for three familiar kitchen herbs: cinnamon, fennel and ginger. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, menstrual pain is understood as cold dampness stagnating in the channels serving the uterus, and all three herbs are classically used to warm the meridians (the body's energy channels) and disperse that cold. The researchers combed four major research databases for randomized controlled trials — the strongest single-study design — where women with primary dysmenorrhea (period pain without an underlying pelvic condition) received one of the herbs or a placebo. Nine trials qualified, covering 647 women, most of them students aged 15 to 25. Seven of the nine trials rated as high quality on standard scoring. The herbs worked. Ginger showed the strongest effect, lowering pain scores by nearly 3 points on a 10-point scale compared with placebo (WMD = 2.902, p < 0.001 — a difference women would clearly feel). Cinnamon lowered pain by about 1.8 points (WMD = 1.815) and was the only herb that also shortened how long the pain lasted (by about 16 minutes per episode, WMD = 16.200). Fennel helped more modestly (WMD = 0.528, p = 0.011). The benefit held when only the highest-quality trials were analyzed, and earlier research has found ginger comparable to ibuprofen and mefenamic acid for this purpose. These effects have a known biological basis: compounds in these herbs (eugenol, gingerols) reduce prostaglandins — the chemicals that trigger the intense uterine cramping behind period pain. Typical study dosages were practical: ginger 250-500 mg capsules three times daily during the first 3-5 days of the period, and cinnamon around 1-3 grams daily for 3 days. The honest caveats: all nine trials were conducted in Iran, samples were small, and results varied considerably between studies — so larger, more diverse trials are needed before firm clinical recommendations. Still, for a low-cost, low-risk option with a plausible mechanism, this is among the better-supported uses of herbal medicine for a specific condition.