The Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Endometriosis: A Review of Utilization and Mechanism

Sai Kong, Yuehui Zhang, Yue-Hui Zhang, Chen-Fang Liu, Chenfang Liu, Ilene Tsui, Ying Guo, Bei-Bei Ai, Feng‐Juan Han, Feng-Juan Han
Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2014 · vol. 2014(1) , pp. 146383 · doi:10.1155/2014/146383 · PMID:24701237 · W2086727103
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review examines the utilization and therapeutic mechanisms of complementary and alternative medicine, including herbs and acupuncture, for endometriosis, highlighting their efficacy and fewer side effects compared to conventional treatments.

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Abstract

Endometriosis (EM) is one of the common gynecological conditions causing menstrual and pelvic pain and affects 10%-15% of women of reproductive age. In recent years, the complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatment for EM has become popular due to the few adverse reactions reported. The CAM therapy for EM includes several different treatments such as herbs (herbal prescription, extract, and patent), acupuncture, microwave physiotherapy, and Chinese herb medicine enema (CHM enema). These CAM therapies are effective at relieving dysmenorrhoea, shrinking adnexal masses, and promoting pregnancy, with less unpleasant side effects when compared to hormonal and surgical treatments. In this review, we focus on the status quo of CAM on EM and try to identify therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms based on some clinical and experimental studies. We hope to provide some instructive suggestions for clinical treatment and experimental research in the future.

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Condition tags

endometriosisdysmenorrhea

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Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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