Ginger and menstrual pain: effective or placebo?

Menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) affect 50-90% of women of childbearing age. The ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for this problem.

Scientific evidence

Ozgoli et al. (2009) : 150 women with primary dysmenorrhea — ginger (250mg 4x/day) vs. ibuprofen vs mefenamic acid → comparable effectiveness in reducing pain.

Rahnama et al. (2012) : Ginger vs placebo → significant reduction in the intensity and duration of menstrual pain.

Meta-analysis Daily et al. (2015) : Confirmation of the pain-relieving effect of ginger on dysmenorrhea, comparable to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Mechanism: COX-2 and prostaglandins

Menstrual pain is caused by excessive production of prostaglandins (PGE2, PGF2α) which cause uterine contractions. Ginger inhibits COX-2 and 5-lipoxygenase, reducing prostaglandin synthesis — exactly the same mechanism as ibuprofen, but without effects ginger gastroenteritis-intestinal.

How to use INTI for period pain

• Preventive : start 2-3 days before rules planned, 1 shot/day
• Curative : 1-2 shots from the start of cramps
• To associate : local heat + INTI = often more efficient combination

The slimming-thermogenesis-weight-loss-shot">cayenne pepper capsaicin in NRTI can also help — it desensitizes pain receptors (TRPV1) in the uterus.