Research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (February 2009; 15(2):129–132) compared the effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea.
The study included 150 female students over the age of 18 who experienced primary dysmenorrhea. Participants were divided into three groups and received either 250 mg of ginger rhizome powder, 250 mg of mefenamic acid, or 400 mg of ibuprofen. Each intervention was taken four times daily for three days, beginning at the onset of menstruation.
Symptoms of dysmenorrhea decreased significantly in all three groups. There was no significant difference in pain relief between the women taking ginger and those taking either of the drug therapies. Ginger was found to be comparable in effectiveness to both mefenamic acid and ibuprofen. No significant adverse effects were reported in the ginger group.
