Gummies to the rescue: India’s Power Gummies formulates chasteberry, vitamin C and passionflower product to ease PMS
Called ‘That Time of the Month’, the gummy supplement is the third launched by Power Gummies, a brand by Aesthetics Nutrition, a company which specialises in gummy supplements.
Its previous two launches consist of a multivitamin gummy for promoting hair and nail health and a green coffee, L-carnitine formula for weight management.
“Though a common condition in women, PMS is largely ignored. In fact, three out of four women suffer from PMS. This triggers painful cramps and other symptoms during their periods every month… Power Gummies will continue adding more such products to ensure nutrition for all cohorts,” CEO and founder Divij Bajaj said about the launch.
The product claims to “support good health of menstruating women” on its packaging.
According to the brand, the product contains four key ingredients responsible for alleviating PMS.
The first is chasteberry (vitex agnus castus), which contains iridoids and flavonoids naturally occurring in plants and has been traditionally used to relieve PMS.
It is most commonly used to alleviate PMS in suggested doses of 200 to 400 mg per day.
It has been hypothesised that chasteberry could impact the hypothalamus and pituitary function. As a result, it is able to normalise the secretion of hormones that contribute to PMS when in high levels, such as reducing the secretion of prolactin and reducing the oestrogen to progesterone ratio.
Vitamin C, on the other hand, can help to reduce oxidative stress and promote immune functioning.
The remaining two ingredients are citrus bioflavonoids and passionflower extract.
A clinical trial conducted by Heydari and et al showed that citrus bioflavonoids from bitter orange could improve PMS through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
Passionflower extract has been used to treat dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramp) and insomnia. It is also used to relieve premenstrual symptoms, such as insomnia, depression, anger, headaches, and anxiety according to a review by Kim et al.
Dosage
The recommended dosage of the product is two gummies per day three days before, during, and three days after menstruation.
The product, which comes in a pack of 40 strawberry flavoured gummies, claims to be gluten-free, contains zero sugar, and is vegan friendly.
The category
There has been a number of companies developing products for addressing PMS in India.
Ayurvedic cannabis firm Hempstreet launched the product “Trailokya Vijaya Vati” which claims to relieve menstrual cramp during January. As it contains cannabis, the product is only available upon practitioner’s prescription.
&me, a brand by Merhaki Foods and Nutrition, also said in February that it has been developing products for menstrual health, with addressing endometriosis as one of its key focus for this year.
