Efficacy of the Mentha crispa in the treatment of women with Trichomonas vaginalis infection.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Mentha crispa in the treatment of women with Trichomonas vaginalis infection (TVI).

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, and controlled clinical trial consisting of three phases, pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment. Sixty female patients were randomized to a treatment group, M. crispa (24 mg) or secnidazole (2,000 mg), both consisting of single dose.

Results: After treatment the proportion of patients without TVI in secnidazole group was 96.6% and in the M. crispa group was 90%, no difference was found between groups (P = 0.6120). We observed improvement in vaginal discharge, malodorous vaginal secretion, dyspareunia, dysuria, pelvic pain, and burning and itching in the genital area in patients of both groups of treatment, with no statistically significant differences between them (P > 0.05). Adverse effects were significantly higher (P = 0.0006) in the secnidazole group (66.6%) than in the M. crispa group (20%), that being mostly nausea and metallic taste with statistically significant differences between treatment groups (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: This study is the first to show that M. crispa is effective and safe, representing an alternative for the treatment of TVI in women.