PMS sucks – there’s no way around it. I’d like to be one of those nature chicks who gush about their sacred moon and honoring the body’s cycle and appreciating every aspect of it and all that stuff. But, it’s hard to be so optimistic when you’re cranky, tired, crampy and bloating up like a balloon. For those days when even your fat pants don’t fit, there are a few herbal allies that will quickly become your best friends. Beat PMS bloating with these natural remedies.
Dandelion – That’s right, the weed that grows in your yard. We’ve been brought up to think of this plant as a nuisance, but it’s actually got some wonderful medicinal and nutritional properties. It’s high in iron and many vitamins, and acts as a strong diuretic. For that reason, it’s often used to cleanse the liver and kidneys. You can get the dried leaves in capsule form or as a tincture at the health food store, or make a tonic yourself with a handful of freshly picked leaves steeped in a pint of hot water for 20 minutes. Drink a cup twice daily. The yellow flowers and leaves are both edible, but be sure to only pick the tender young leaves before the flowers appear, or they’ll be tough and bitter. The root is also edible, and is often used as treatment for digestive disorders.
Fennel seed – The stalks of this licorice-flavored plant are often used in cooking, but the seeds are what pack the PMS-fighting punch. It, too, has diuretic properties that will help relieve the dreaded bloating. It also has properties that ease bloating caused by gas. A great way to use fennel is to take it as tea – it tastes great, and it will soon help you to start feeling more like yourself again.
Peppermint – This delicious herb has so many uses, from relieving headaches to soothing the gastrointestinal tract. It relaxes smooth muscle and eases inflammation, can help stabilize mood swings and eliminates gas, which can contribute to bloating. Like fennel seed, the best way to use peppermint to relieve bloating is to drink it as tea. Peppermint tea is commonly found in most grocery stores.
You can purchase all three of these herbs in various forms online from Mountain Rose Herbs. Hampstead also has a delicious organic fair trade peppermint tea!
You can find it under the following topic(s): alternative medicine.
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Nice. Always good to be reminded there are natural routes.
Raspberry leaf is great for toning the uterus throughout the month.
Ginger is really good for sluggish menses.
Chamomile works really well on cramps, too. I used to make a really strong brew of chamomile and ginger in a bodum tea/coffee press.
It goes without saying, I suppose, but I always warn people to be mindful if they are taking any medications or other herbs and to discuss herb usage with a practitioner. I think people sometimes assume “hey, its a plant so it can’t do any harm” but it is always really important to be wise about using any substance to treat anything. It is still a ‘drug’ in a sense. Susun Weed reminded me of that in an interview once. “When we take a supplement or herb, we are still taking something into us to ‘fix’ or ‘heal’ so we need to treat it as a drug.”
July 28th, 2008 at 7:54 amI love peppermint as a pick-me-up tea in the afternoon, but I never knew it could help with PMS. Score!
July 28th, 2008 at 10:16 amI’ll have to try this next time. I love peppermint teas with a bit of chocolate :)
July 28th, 2008 at 10:35 amAlso, my boyfriend has a horrible liver problem (doctors don’t know what it is) and I have suggested he tries the dandelion leave tea … I’ll let you all know if it works.
Also, avoiding caffeine during PMS helps reduce cramps. Cut it out of your diet 2-3 days before you start and you’ll notice a difference. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. And as uncomfortable as they can be doing sit ups can help relieve cramps as well.
Samantha, dandelion should be great for him, and he may want to try milk thistle as well. I personally use Mountain Rose Herbs’ ‘Liver Care’ capsules since the medication I take for insulin resistance can damage the liver.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:15 pmFor reals! Years ago when cramps were kicking my arse every month and over the counter stuff didn’t help enough, I started trying teas. Like Kim said, red raspberry is awesome. That helped me so much. Blended teas made just for our “moon time” (tee hee) are my favorite though. I just watch out for the ones heavy in fennel because of the “licorice” taste :P
July 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pmThanks Stephanie, I’ll def have him try that.
Years ago, to help alleviate cramps I got my nose pierced (per Auyrvedic tradition) which is supposed to help with cramps and labor pains… don’t know yet it of works for labor pains but it has -somewhat- helped with my cramps. Some days though -like today- I just need coffee, even though I know it will kill me. I’ll have to try the red raspberry tea. I wonder if it would work the same as an iced tea? Thoughts?? :)
For a “anytime” tea I love Republic of Tea’s “Good Hope Vanilla”, it’s naturally caffeine-free rooiboos blended with vanilla bean and a hint of cream.. it’s so yummy with a swirl of vanilla. :)
July 30th, 2008 at 11:35 amSamantha, you can definitely drink Red Raspberry Tea iced! It’s delicious that way. I like to add a peppermint leaf - the two go well together.
Funny, I have my nose pierced but didn’t know that it was supposed to alleviate cramps! But now that I think about it, I really don’t get them too bad.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:54 amWow! That’s so interesting that’s the origin of nose piercing! Who knew? I don’t really get cramps but had my eyebrow and lip pierced for awhile…..does that have an effect on anything?
July 31st, 2008 at 2:44 pmI’ve also read that Red Clover tea is good for warding off evil PMS symptoms. It mimics estrogen in the body.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:52 amI recently tried it and I think it may have helped with the cramping and sleepiness I tend to experience about a week before Aunt Flo comes to town.
I have always experienced excruciating pain due to cramps. I’ve taken ten pain relievers, a chinese herb patch and a hot bath (I don’t know of anything a hot bath can’t cure) after the bath a hot pad and still was in unbearable pain. On top of the pain the pain relievers made me light headed, and sick. My friend told me about a tincture that her mom bought specifically for pms cramping, I didn’t think it would help. But I tried it and not to much longer I wasn’t in pain! I couldn’t believe it, not only did it actually relieve my pain, but I can go through the day and only have taken it once! Thats crazy to me, considering what I used to have to do! It is a liquid herbal extract, Vitex agnus-castus, also known as Chaste Tree. I buy it in a tincture and put about 20-30 drops in a little water and am good to go :)
I have been looking for herbal remedies to help with my bloating and you have given me great ideas. I’ll let you know how they work! Thanx for the info!
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August 30th, 2008 at 9:44 am