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Some fortunate women suffer no more than three days of minor inconvenience whilst others endure a week of miserable cramps, headaches, sickness and heavy bleeding. There are a great many reasons for feeling rotten, all of which have been thoroughly discussed in every magazine and book on the subject. Water retention leads to bloated feeling, weight gain and swollen ankles and puts pressure on the liver and kidneys. Stress, depression, sleeplessness and headaches not surprisingly follow in the wake of these miseries, especially if your face has sprouted its monthly crop of acne and the hair is lank and lifeless Backache and cramp can also be caused by back problems so do not suffer needlessly but take the advice of an osteopath and ignore the concept popular amongst our male counterparts that woman is a menstruating biped with backache.
Bad temper is fairly understandable but this can flare into the unreasonable aggression associated with severe premenstrual tension. If you think that this is your problem find a sympathetic expert to advice you.
To bolster yourself against this monthly subversion from within take the following steps. Avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, stimulants, chocolate, junk food and unrefined carbohydrates. Eat a high-protein diet and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly spinach, dandelion leaves, carrots, apples and lady’s mantle which will replace lost minerals and vitamins. Iron-rich liver is also recommended. Drink lots of water.
Take plenty of exercise - walking, swimming and yoga are the best.
Take vitamin B6 or evening primrose in the eight to 10 days prior to a period but do not extend the course further. Take marigold tisane for one week before a period is due Magnesium, calcium and zinc may be taken as a supplement to relieve muscle tension whilst royal jelly, pollen and honey will further ease your tribulations. All of these sensible and gentle remedies are preferable to a dose of ergot of rye in water, opium and camphor or strong vinegar and horseradish sniffed up the nose to shake you out of your unseemly lethargy.
Effective Pain Killers
The following teas should all be made in the quantities of 1 teaspoon infused in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes and taken three times a day unless stated otherwise.
· Motherwort The oldest and gentlest of female herbs, this will rid you of a headache. Take after meals.
· Melilot This is the sweet yellow or bee’s clover. Take for headache and wring out I a compress for aching eyes.
· Vervain Sip this tea for headache and tension.
· Dandelion Take dandelion tea to alleviate water retention and a heavy bloated feeling.
· Red raspberry leaf Drink three times a day to relieve distention.
· Cramp bark Recommended for cramps and tension.
· Fennel This will ease pain, tension and digestive problems.
· Chamomile Take for pain, stress and headache with a scanty period.
· Pennyroyal Another tea for a scanty period with pain.
· Caraway This tea relieves a cold bloated feeling and indigestion.
· Angelica Use to relieve pain, stress and digestive problems.
· Yarrow Take if you suffer from excessive bleeding, cramp and tension.
· Strawberry leaf This is another remedy for excessive bleeding.
· Fresh fig leaves An infusion of fresh fig leaves will improve the circulation.
· Parsley and tarragon Eat these herbs or make them into a tea.
· Rose Use the petals of the wild or white garden rose. One drop of essential oil in hot water is very soothing and tranquillizing.
· Safflower or linseed Steep 7 g (1/4 oz) of the seeds in 600 ml (1 pint) of boiling water, sand for five minutes then strain and drink 1 teacupful every five hours to reduce pain.
· Peppermint, fennel and liquorice Infuse peppermint leaves ad fennel seed in liquorice water and drink. Alternatively make a tee of the first two and eat liquorice wood or sweets. If constipation and water retention are the cause of pain it will help.
A More Physical Approach
A forthright though not altogether practical suggestion comes from a very old herbal which advocates sitting over a bowl of steaming yarrow or tansy tea to relieve the pains and cramps of menstruation. A warm bath however, especially a warm sitz bath, will do much to ease the torsions and screws. Add essential oils of orange blossom or orange, chamomile, Melissa or rose to the water. Also use tem in a carrier oil to gently massage your aching tum, back and neck and the soles of your feet. Tell yourself that you love yourself, even if no one else does, and retire to bed with a hot water bottle on your stomach, a pillow beneath your knees, a good book and the best but not very herbal remedy of gin and peppermint cordial in a splash of hot water. Port and brandy is another very therapeutic dram – but take no more than that! Great-grand mothers may remember the alternatives of a hot compress and hot milk with grated nutmeg.
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