Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research

Anaemia among adolescent girls and young women is a heterogeneous clinical and public-health problem in which dietary inadequacy, menstrual blood loss, infection, inflammation and inherited disorders may coexist. Food-first strategies and interventions described as naturopathic are attractive because of their perceived accessibility, cultural familiarity and potential for sustained prevention, but their effects are often inferred from nutrient composition or short-term haemoglobin changes rather than demonstrated recovery of iron stores. This critical narrative review examines food-based dietary modification, absorption-enhancing practices, botanical products, iron-containing cookware, nutrition education and related lifestyle approaches in menstruating adolescents and young adults. Peer-reviewed clinical, nutritional and public-health literature published through 27 August 2026 was synthesised alongside authoritative diagnostic guidance, with attention to causal inference, biochemical outcomes, safety and population relevance. The most defensible evidence supports improving the quantity and bioavailability of dietary iron as an adjunct to diagnosis-directed care, particularly where inadequate food access or suboptimal dietary patterns contribute to deficiency. Controlled feeding and absorption studies clarify the influence of haem iron, ascorbic acid, tea and phytate, but mechanistic gains cannot automatically be translated into correction of established anaemia. Small studies of iron-rich foods and Moringa oleifera suggest potential benefits, although limited randomisation, contamination by co-interventions and inadequate ferritin measurement constrain causal interpretation. Evidence for iron cookware is inconsistent; nutrition education reliably improves knowledge more often than validated haematological endpoints. Traditional formulations raise additional concerns about heterogeneous composition and contaminant testing, whereas robust evidence for yoga, hydrotherapy or other non-dietary modalities as independent anaemia treatments remains insufficient. Naturopathic strategies should therefore be appraised as potentially useful supportive measures rather than replacements for investigation of anaemia aetiology, appropriate iron therapy or management of abnormal bleeding. Future trials require confirmed diagnoses, adequately powered and independently allocated comparison groups, validated iron biomarkers and longer follow-up.