The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy
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J Altern Complement Med · May 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialAnemia-related hemogram, uterine artery pulsatility index, and blood pressure for the effects of Four-Agents-Decoction (Si Wu Tang) in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.
We previously reported pain intensity as the primary outcome of Four-Agents-Decoction (Si Wu Tang) for treating primary dysmenorrhea. We further explored other effects of this formula in accordance with the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine on anemia-related hemogram parameters for "nourishing blood" and uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) for "blood stagnation." ⋯ The anemia status evaluated in conventional medicine does not readily explain the effect of "nourishing blood" by Four-Agents-Decoction (Si Wu Tang) from this exploratory study. Although we did not find strong statistical significance of treatment effect, the decreased PI and extra blood pressure elevation may indicate an improvement of "blood stagnation" in the Four-Agents-Decoction group. The added information warrants a further larger clinical trial with an increased power to enhance our understanding of the efficacy, the dose-response relationship, and the mode of action of this ancient formula for treating primary dysmenorrhea.