UK researchers have carried out a pilot study to test the feasibility of a novel trial methodology enabling the investigation of individualised decoctions of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), while gathering preliminary data on their effects in patients with endometriosis. Forty women with endometriosis were initially randomised to either wait-list control (WLC) or treatment groups, where they received either individualised CHM decoctions or a placebo decoction. Twenty-eight women completed the trial and high dropout rates led to the suspension of the WLC. Adjusted mean differences favored the active treatment in Endometriosis Health Profile and Measure Yourself Medical Outcomes Profile (MYMOP) scores. VAS (visual analogue scale) scores favored the active treatment for relief of menstrual pain and the placebo group for reduction of daily pain. The authors concluded that their methodology successfully allowed individualised CHM decoctions to be tested rigorously and that a larger, more-definitive study is warranted.

A feasibility study exploring the role of chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Aug;17(8):691-9