Phytotherapy and Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review Study in Iranian Ethnobotanical Documents

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is an unusual pain in the abdomen during menstruation. Women experience pain in the lower
abdomen and uterus during menstruation, but if the pain is too much to stop daily activities, it is called
dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation. Chemical treatments for dysmenorrhea are usually associated with
side effects. Gastrointestinal problems, nausea, blurred vision, headache, and dizziness are some of the
side effects of medications used to treat dysmenorrhea. Today, the use of herbal remedies and traditional
medicine has become common. In this systematic review study, the most important medicinal plants
mentioned for dysmenorrhea in Iranian ethnobotanical documents were extracted and reported. In this
review study, keywords such as dysmenorrhea, medicinal plants, ethnobotany, identification of medicinal
plants, region and Iran from databases including ISI ,Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ISC, Magiran and
Google Scholar to review articles and Resources used. Based on the obtained results, medicinal plants
Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Juniperus communis, Origanum vulgare, Salvia sclarea L., Urtica dioica L.,
Anthemis cotula L., Carthamus lanatus L., Silybum marianum [L.] Gaerth., Anthriscus cerefolium L
[Hoffm.], Vitex pseudonegundo, Parietaria judaica L., Achillea biebersteinii Afanasiev., Equisetum arvense
L., Phoeniculum vulgare Mill. daenensis Celak., Peganum harmala L., Trifolium repens L., Salix aegyptiaca
L., Nepeta fassenii, Cicer kermanenses, Teucrium pollium L., Achillea santolina, Cuminum cyminum,
Valeriana officinalis, Salvia macrosiphon, Achillea eriophora, which are medicinal plants. They are used in
different regions of Iran to treat dysmenorrhea.