The Best Herbs for Period Cramps

(http://drkathleenmahannah.com/2018/02/17/best-herbs-for-period-cramps/)

Painful period cramps, otherwise known as dysmenorrhea, affect about 50% of women. You
don’t have to suffer through this pain — natural treatments through food, herbs, and specific
nutrients can help decrease or resolve the discomfort you experience at ‘that time of the
month’.

Ginger. This is my #1 favourite herb for cramps. One study demonstrated that giving ginger
capsules four times a day, starting 3 days before the period, works just as effectively as
ibuprofen to treat menstrual pain. I have seen some impressive improvements in cramping
pain using this warming herb. Ginger is also helpful for nausea, so I love to recommend this
herb specifically for women who experience cramping pain with nausea, vomiting, and
bloating associated with period onset. Aside from utilizing ginger capsules, you can also
increase ginger in your diet throughout the month. Here are a few ways to incorporate ginger
into your dietary routine:
 Chop fresh ginger and add generously to your stir fry or as a topping to baked salmon
with lemon or cilantro
 Drink fresh pressed juice with ginger, lemon, cucumber and other greens
 Make fresh ginger tea: Bring to a boil then simmer sliced fresh ginger root in a pot,
covered, for 15 minutes, add sliced lemon for another 5-10 minutes, sweeten with some
honey and drink daily
 Add a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger to your smoothies in the morning
 Replace your second coffee of the day with ginger tea bags, in a pinch
 Make a warming turmeric tea latte with a generous serving fresh ginger root (at least
2 tsp)

 This warming herb may help ease cramps and soothe menstrual troubles by lowering
levels of pain-causing prostaglandins (as well as fight the fatigue commonly
associated with premenstrual syndrome). In a study published in 2009, women who
took 250 mg capsules of ginger four times a day for three days from the start of their
menstrual period experienced a level of pain relief equal to that of study members
who treated their menstrual cramps with ibuprofen.3

Another study, published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2012,

analyzed the use of ginger root powder or a placebo in 120 women with moderate or
severe primary dysmenorrhea and found that there were significant differences in the
severity of pain between the ginger and placebo groups.4 Those taking ginger root powder
two days before the onset of their menstrual period and continuing through the first three
days of their menstrual period had the shortest duration of pain.
https://www.onhealth.com/content/1/menstrual_period_cramps

Sip Chamomile Tea

Sipping chamomile tea may help reduce cramps when you
menstruate. Chamomile tea is
full of anti-inflammatory
substances that inhibit
prostaglandins. Prostaglandins
are made by cells in
the endometrium of the uterus.
These cells release
prostaglandins during a woman's
period, provoking muscle
contractions of the uterus, pain,
and cramps. Prostaglandins in the bloodstream are responsible
for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and headache during the
menstrual period. NSAIDs like naproxen and ibuprofen reduce
prostaglandin production. Sipping chamomile tea inhibits pain-
causing prostaglandins and enhances menstrual flow to ease
period symptoms.

A Therapeutic Root - Curcumin

Curcumin, an ingredient in the root tumeric, may help relieve PMS symptoms.
Women who took 2 capsules of curcumin per day for 7 days prior to menstruation and
for 3 days after their period began experienced a reduction in PMS symptoms
compared to women who took placebo pills. Scientists think beneficial compounds in
curcumin combat inflammation and alter neurotransmitter levels, all of which may be
responsible for the reduction in PMS symptoms. Women treated with curcumin
reported improvements in behavioral, mood, and physical symptoms due to PMS.
Curcumin may also have benefits for people with inflammatory conditions like
arthritis, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, and other
conditions.