Herbal Interventions for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review of Clinical Evidence

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common and heterogeneous endocrine condition, and many women turn to herbal preparations alongside, or instead of, conventional care. This narrative review asks what clinical evidence exists for such preparations and how much weight it can bear. It draws on published guidelines, reviews and trials covering berberine, cinnamon, spearmint, chasteberry, licorice and fenugreek, together with work on product quality, safety and trial design, and it reports no new data. The clearest signals concern insulin-related measures with berberine and cinnamon, and anti-androgen effects with spearmint tea, but most trials are small, short and heterogeneous in their products, doses and outcomes. Evidence on ovulation, menstrual regularity and live birth is thinner still. Variable extract content, adulteration, interactions and rare serious harms, such as liver injury or licorice-related electrolyte disturbance, complicate any simple reading. The review concludes that some herbal agents merit properly powered, standardised and transparently reported trials, that current evidence does not justify replacing established care, and it sets out what such trials should contain.