Dill for Period Pain: Seed Powder, Drops and Drug Comparisons

The seed-powder trial followed two periods

The 2014 trial¹ randomized 75 Iranian university students; 70 were analyzed. It compared dill seed powder, mefenamic acid and starch placebo. Participants took 1,000 mg of seed powder every 12 hours for five days, starting two days before menstruation, over two cycles.¹

The study found no significant pain-score difference between dill and mefenamic acid. It was not designed to establish equivalence. Two dill participants reported increased bleeding amount or duration; one reported gastrointestinal discomfort. Qom University of Medical Sciences funded the study.¹

The placebo comparison was encouraging but uncertain

The 2016 Cochrane review’s analysis of that same trial² found lower pain scores with dill than placebo: 1.15 points lower in the first cycle and 0.95 lower in the second, on a 0-to-10 scale. That comparison involved 46 participants, not a second independent trial.²

For dill versus mefenamic acid, its first-cycle estimate was 0.13 points higher with dill, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.01 lower to 1.27 higher. An interval spanning benefit and harm cannot demonstrate interchangeability. The review rated the dill placebo evidence very low in quality.²

The earlier drop trial favored mefenamic acid

A 2013 report studied 100 students with moderate primary dysmenorrhea, comparing the Dillsun liquid preparation with mefenamic acid over three treatment cycles. Both groups improved, but the drug produced greater reductions, significantly so in cycles two and three.³

We verified the paper’s published English abstract. It describes two active-treatment groups, without a placebo, and does not establish that its liquid preparation matches the later seed-powder capsules.³

A three-spice comparison had 31 participants

The 2019 trial⁴’s abstract describes 31 participants randomly assigned to ginger, dill or cumin. The dill group used 3 g daily for three days during each of three cycles. The authors reported the greatest pain reduction with dill, followed by ginger.⁴

This comparison had no placebo or conventional painkiller group. The accessible abstract and publisher excerpts describe a preliminary study; they do not provide enough results to establish a dependable advantage. The authors reported no specific grant or conflicts.⁴

A newer review covers several plants

The 2026 Apiaceae review included 14 trials across multiple herbs, with searches through March 2025. Its abstract reports a favorable dill subgroup against standard treatments, alongside concerns about deviations from treatment and selective reporting. These are not 14 dill trials.⁵

We could verify the abstract, rather than the full analysis. It does not supply enough detail to reconcile the different preparations and comparisons above or select a household tea recipe.⁵

Keep changing pain in the assessment

Record pain severity, bleeding changes, medicines used and activities missed. Bring any proposed supplement’s ingredient list to a pharmacist or clinician. The “The Supplement Aisle” section of Period, Handled explains why small, short supplement studies leave treatment and safety questions unresolved.

The NHS⁶ advises assessment for periods becoming more painful, heavier or irregular, or pain disrupting usual activities. Severe or worse-than-usual pelvic or period pain that painkillers have not helped needs urgent advice: in the UK, an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111; elsewhere, the local urgent-care service.⁶

Our heating-pad guide covers practical heat use while you arrange an appropriate pain plan.