A Comparative Study of Treatment of Hypericum perforatum and Vitamin B6 for Mastalgi: Clinical Trial

This study aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin B6 and Hypericum perforatum as a treatment for mastalgia. The double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted on 238 patients with premenstrual syndrome referred to gynecology clinic of Zeinabieh Hospital of Shiraz. Two months before the intervention, all patients completed a prospective menstrual daily questionnaire. The participants were randomized into three groups: I (receiving two tablets of H. perforatum containing 330µg of hypericin), II (receiving two tablets of containing 80 mg of vit B6) and III (receiving placebo), which were treated daily from the first to 30th day of menstrual cycle for two cycles. Pain intensity was assessed with a visual analogue scale. Data analyzed by SPSS-21. There was no significant difference in the mean age, weight and height between groups. The results showed that the studied groups had different behaviors with mutual effect at different times. The results of mastalgia severity changes were significant between groups, that showed the pattern of time changes of the groups was significantly different from each other (p=0.048). While vit B6 was more effective than placebo in relieving mastalgia (P< 0.001), the difference between H. perforatum and placebo was not statistically significant (P = 0.16). H. perforatum showed no significant effect on mastalgia.Some factors such as affordability, availability and side effects should be considered to select the right candidate. Given the importance of providing women's health and that mastalgia can disrupt their activities, vit B6 can be prescribed as a useful way to relieve cyclic mastalgia.