ANALGESIC EFFECT OF A HERBAL MEDICINE FOR TREATMENT OF PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA - A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY

We evaluated the analgesic effect of Toki-shakuyaku-san (TSS) in women who had a combination of ''deficiency,'' of ''Yin,'' ''cold,'' and '' stagnated blood'' syndromes, and were suffering from dysmenorrhea. A d iagnostic scoring system was used for determination of these condition s. We treated patients with either TSS or placebo during 2 menstrual c ycles with a double-blind technique, and we followed them for 2 additi onal cycles. A significant alleviation of dysmenorrhea was observed in patients treated with TSS as compared to those treated with placebo. Our results suggest that TSS is effective for treatment of dysmenorrhe a in patients with the above-mentioned conditions.