Comparison of oral and topical effect of ginger on the rate of menstrual bleeding

Menstrual bleeding is a reflection of periodic secretion endometrial loss due to decreased estradiol and progesterone production. In traditional medicine, ginger is described as a menstrual blood enhancer. This study was performed with aim to compare the oral and topical effect of ginger on the rate of menstrual bleeding in girls with regular menstruation.

This single-blind randomized clinical trial study was performed on 70 female students living in the dormitory of Shahid Beheshti University in 2016-2017. Subjects were divided into two groups: capsules and ginger oil (n=35 in each group). Both groups consumed the drug for three consecutive menstrual cycles from two days before menstruation until the first three days of menstruation. The Higham chart (PBAC) was used to determine the amount of menstrual bleeding. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 17) using Mann-Whitney U and Friedman tests. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The two groups were similar in terms of bleeding volume at the beginning of the study (P=0.38). The mean volume of bleeding in the first cycle in the ginger capsule group was 104.91 ± 64.01, and reached to 102.26 ± 57.2 in the fourth cycle of intervention, which was not significant (p= 0.8). In the ginger oil group, the mean volume of bleeding in the first cycle was 92.8 ± 46.44 and in the fourth cycle 101.88 ± 71.14, which was not significant (p= 0.4).

Ginger oil was not different from ginger capsules in the amount of menstrual bleeding in girls with regular menstruation; ginger oil and ginger capsule alone did not affect menstrual bleeding.