Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects up to 40% of reproductive-age women worldwide. PMS symptoms include irritability, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and bloating in the days before menstruation begins. Bitter orange (Citrus × Aurantium, Rutaceae) has traditionally been used as a carminative, antiemetic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, analgesic, and sedative and to treat headache, inflammation, insomnia, and uterine prolapse. Previous clinical studies have shown aromatherapy with essential oils (EO) from bitter orange flowers can reduce stress and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women and reduce pain and anxiety in women in labor. The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of bitter orange EO aromatherapy on PMS symptoms in young women.

The trial was conducted at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, Iran from March 2016 to February 2017 with female medical students from the university. Participants were included if they had moderate to severe PMS symptoms (scores…