Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined as psychological or physical signs and symptoms which persist for three to ten days prior to menstruation and decrease or disappear when menstruation starts. Various hypotheses have been proposed as to the cause of PMS, such as a lack of balance between estrogen and progesterone, vitamin B₁ deficiency, hypoglycemia, and autoimmunity. However, what the real cause is remains a matter of debate, and various kinds of treatment have, therefore, been attempted. It is necessary to investigate therapeutic efficacy objectively.
We established PMS scores, in which clinical signs and symptoms were divided into individual conditions, such as psychology, nerves, breast, water retention, gastrointestinal tract, skin, etc., and scores of 0-20 were given to each of these conditions making a maximum score of 100. When the scores decreased after treatment by 30% or less compared to pretreatment scores, the results were defined as “excellent”. When the scores fell by 31-60%, the results were defined as “good”.
When four patients with “hyper-functioning condition” suffering from PMS were given Keishi-bukuryo-gan extract (TJ-25), “excellent” results were obtained in two and “good” in the other two. No adverse reactions were observed. This study suggests that TJ-25 is effective for PMS.