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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Ultrasound | Research article

Efficacy and safety of myrrh in patients with incomplete abortion: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study

Authors: Homeira Vafaei, Sara Ajdari, Kamran Hessami, Ayda Hosseinkhani, Leila Foroughinia, Nasrin Asadi, Azam Faraji, Sepideh Abolhasanzadeh, Khadije Bazrafshan, Shohreh Roozmeh

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl.) has a long history of traditional use as a herbal medicine for different purposes. In ancient traditional Persian manuscripts, it has been noted that myrrh may act as uterine stimulant and probably cause complete abortion. However, there is no evidence to verify this comment. Therefore, the current study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Myrrh in the treatment of incomplete abortion.

Materials and methods

In a randomized double-blinded placebo controlled clinical trial, 80 patients with ultrasound-documented retained products of conception (RPOC) were assigned to receive capsules containing 500 mg of Myrrh oleo-gum-resin or a placebo three times a day for 2 weeks. The existence of the retained tissue and its size were evaluated by ultrasound examination at the beginning and end of the study.

Results

After 2 weeks, the mean diameter of the RPOC in the Myrrh group was significantly reduced compared with the placebo group (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the rate of successful complete abortion was 82.9% in the intervention group and 54.3% in the placebo group (P = 0.01). The patients in both groups reported no serious drug-related adverse effects.

Conclusion

This study shows that Myrrh is effective and safe in the resolution of the RPOC and may be considered as an alternative option for treatment of patients with incomplete abortion. However, further studies on active compounds isolated from myrrh and their uterine stimulant effects are needed.

Trial registration

This study was retrospectively registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.​irct.​ir) IRCT code: IRCT20140317017034N7.
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Metadata
Title
Efficacy and safety of myrrh in patients with incomplete abortion: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study
Authors
Homeira Vafaei
Sara Ajdari
Kamran Hessami
Ayda Hosseinkhani
Leila Foroughinia
Nasrin Asadi
Azam Faraji
Sepideh Abolhasanzadeh
Khadije Bazrafshan
Shohreh Roozmeh
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-02946-z

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