LONDON A herbal remedy used to balance female hormones can relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), German researchers said.

Agnus Castus is a fruit extract that is thought to regulate a woman's monthly cycle by increasing levels of progesterone in relation to estrogen.

Scientists at the Institute of Health Care and Science in Huttenberg, Germany found it relieved the irritability, mood swings, headache and other problems associated with PMS.

"Dry extract of agnus castus fruit is an effective and well tolerated treatment for the relief of the premenstrual syndrome," Dr. Rued Schellenberg said in a study in the ***British Medical Journal***.

The researchers compared the effects of the herbal remedy and a placebo on 86 women suffering from PMS.

After three months the women given agnus castus reported significant improvements in most of the symptoms of PMS compared to the placebo group and with few side effects.

"Over half the women had a 50 percent or greater improvement in their symptoms," the researchers added.

Although PMS can range from mild to severe, the German scientists said the symptoms can be debilitating. They advised doctors to consider using agnus castus to treat the condition.

An estimated one in 10 women suffer from PMS enough to need some type of treatment. The cause is not known but doctors suspect it is due to the hormonal imbalance that can occur during a woman's monthly cycle.

(Reuter)