Efficacy and Safety of Medicinal Plants or Related Natural Products for Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review

Table 1

Summary of randomized clinical studies of medicinal plants or related natural product in fibromyalgia.

Reference/year	Plant/route	Sample size	Duration of study	Outcome measured	Clinical assessment instrument	Findings of the study	Adverse effects	Jadad score
Casanueva et al., 2012 [15]	Capsaicin/topical	108	12 weeks	Pain; Fatigue; Anxiety; Depression	VAS; BPI; MPQ; FIQ; FSS	Significant improvement in pain, depression, fatigue	Transient burning and pricking	5
Ko et al., 2007 [16]	Oil 24/topical	133	one month	Pain; Subjective surveys of pain Measurements of tender point	VAS; FIQ; FDK 10; TePs	Significant improvement in surveys of pain and in measures of tender point	Skin irritation	4
Lister, 2002 [17]	Coenzyme; Q10 and Ginkgo biloba/oral	23	12 weeks	Quality of life	SF-36	Significant improvement in quality of life	Little or no clinical significance	1
Lukaczer et al., 2005 [18]	Meta050/oral	54	8 weeks	Pain; Quality of life Physical function	VAS; FIQ; SF-36; PCS; MCS	Significant improvement in pain	No evidence suggested	1
McCarty et al., 1994 [19]	Due capsaicin/topical	45	4 weeks	Pain; Tenderness; Stiffness	FIQ; VAS; TePs	Significant improvement in pain, tenderness, and stiffness	Moderate transient stinging or burning	3
Rutledge and Jones, 2007 [20]	Oil 24/topical	43	12 weeks	Pain; Physical performance Exercise volume; Physical function	BPI; GSI; BMI; HGS; FDK	Significant improvement in physical function	No evidence suggested	4
Skrabek et al., 2008 [21]	Nabilone/oral	40	4 weeks	Pain; Anxiety	VAS; FIQ	Significant improvement in pain and anxiety	No evidence suggested	5
Ware et al., 2010 [22]	Nabilone/oral	29	10 weeks	Sleep disruption Pain; Quality of life Mood	ISI; LSEQ; MPQ; SF-36; FIQ; HADs-D	Significant improvement in quality of sleep	Dizziness subjects, nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, constipation; Insomnia	4

BMI: Body Mass Index. BPI: Brief Pain Inventory. FIQ: Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. Force Dial FDK 40: Standard Pressure Algometry. FSS: Fatigue Severity Scale. GSI: Global Severe Index. HADs-D: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. HGS: Handgrip Strength. ISI: Insomnia Severity Index (ISI); LSEQ: The Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. MCS: Mental Function Score. MPQ: The McGill Pain Questionnaire. PCS: Physical Function Score. SF-36: Quality of Life-Short-Form 36; TePs: Pressure Algometry Measurements of Tender Point. VAS: Visual Analog Scale. VASs: Visual Analogue Scale.