Evaluation of herbal ingredients used in an ethno-polyherbal formulation for treating menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea in Bangladesh

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, gynecological complications such as menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea lack attention. A female folk medicine practitioner (FMP) residing in the Thakurgaon district of Bangladesh, uses a phytomedicine that has explicitly been prescribed for many years to treat abnormal uterine bleeding accompanying severe lower abdominal pain. ObjectiveWe aim to corroborate original ethno-phytomedicine data that was prescribed for menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea treatment, by studying the evidence-based therapeutic efficacy of medicinal plants and the potential role of gut microbiota in relevant phytopharmacology. MethodsFirst, we documented the process of the phytomedicine preparation by visiting the folk practitioner with her Prior Informed Consent and completed the plant's taxonomic identification from Bangladesh National Herbarium. This was followed by the study of relevant literature available on PubMed and Google Scholar databases to elucidate the scientific efficacy of the herbal ingredients used in the phytomedicine preparation. ResultsThe plant species Phyllanthus reticulatus, Piper nigrum, and Acacia catechu was used as ingredients in the phytomedicine preparation, which has been corroborated by phytochemical and pharmacological data, as well as previous ethnopharmacological uses. The accumulated information aids to hypothesize that a phytochemical, catechin in Acacia catechu and Piper nigrum might act as β-glucuronidase and aromatase inhibitor to balance estrogen levels of patients with menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea. ConclusionAs traditional phytomedicines are suffering from a lack of standardization parameters compared to modern synthetic drugs, the implementation of advanced technologies and emerging scientific strategies can significantly impact the scientific validity, quality, and standardization of traditional herbal medicines. The present study suggests further biological research towards a more updated standardized phytomedicine formulation that can effectively treat menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea.