From my very first period, I always experienced menstrual cramps. Not the barely-there, doesn’t-bother-me type, but rather the give me some Advil and let me sleep kind of cramps.

Usually it was accompanied by heavy flow, where I was changing my pad or tampon every couple of hours.

Over the years, I was able to slow my flow, but the cramps continued. As I went through nutrition school and my journey to healing my PCOS, I searched for a non-pharmaceuticul solution. Knowing that over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like Advil and Tylenol are toxic, can delay ovulation and create some serious stomach and gut issues, natural way the only way to go for me.

Heat packs alone didn’t help, and beyond this I was at a loss. Until I learned about herbal medicine. The idea of using plant-based remedies that had been effective for literally thousands of years really intrigued me, and so I went about developing a combination of medicinal herbs to help reduce menstrual cramps and pain.

Now you can get it yourself in my Cramp Tea, and you can read about each herb and why I selected it to help with your menstrual cramps below.

I simply love the act of brewing a hot cup of pain-relieving tea and curling up with a good movie or book for some “me time” during my moontime. It’s a cyclic ritual that allows me to show myself some love and rejuvenate.

6 Natural Herbs to Help Reduce Menstrual Cramps

#1 Chamomile

Chamomile is one of my favourite medicinal herbs because it’s quite safe to use (even in infants) and has a wide variety of uses. Chamomile flowers can even be grown in your home garden and make a beautiful and functional addition.

Chamomile has many actions, including being anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, mildly sedative, and carminative. What you need to know from this list is that it’s anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic actions will help to calm uterine contractions.

The mild sedative action is helpful for calming us down and allowing our nervous systems to relax as our uterus does during that time of the month.

#2 Red Raspberry Leaf

A classic female herb, this nutrient-dense leaf from the plant we get our raspberries from provides both support for our reproductive system and loads of essential vitamins and minerals that are supportive to health.

Raspberry lead is a spasmolytic herb that also helps to reduce prostaglandins, a big contributor to menstrual cramps (and menstrual diarrhea).

The antioxidants and vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and iron help support normal menstrual cycles. This is partly why raspberry leaf is known as a uterine tonic, being able to generally strengthen and tone the uterus and entire reproductive system for healthier cycles and flow.

#3 Vitex

Also known as Chaste Berry and Chastetree Berry, this is one of the most popular herbs for women’s health, and it’s one I get asked about a lot. It is mainly found in the mediterranean. It is the berries of the vitex plant that are used as medicine, and this plant is mostly used for female health issues. Vitex can be purchased as capsules, tincture and the dried herb to be used as tea.

Vitex is used for the treatment of female hormonal and fertility issues. The main way that Vitex works is by stimulating the pituitary gland in your brain to produce hormones. Specifically, it stimulates the production of more luteinizing hormone (LH) and progesterone. Both of these hormones spike at or around ovulation.

The way that Vitex is able to get your body to do this is by suppressing prolactin production. Prolactin is a hormone that when high enough will prevent ovulation from occurring, so reducing levels of this hormone is key to increasing LH and progesterone for successful ovulation and a strong luteal phase.

In this way, Vitex indirectly helps with menstrual cramping because it will move to balance progesterone levels, and low levels of progesterone contribute to PMS and resulting menstrual cramping, as well as breast tenderness and irregularities.

If you want to know more about Vitex and whether it’s right for you, check this out.

#4 Cramp Bark

Native to Eastern North America, Cramp Bark (aka Viburnum opulus) is a classically used medicinal for dysmenorrhea or menstrual cramping. Cramp Bark is a uterine tonic, uterine anti-spasmodic and musculoskeletal anti-spasmodic, making it perfect for cramps.

Because of it’s affinity for reducing spasm in the uterus, it’s also been used for threatened miscarriage, UTI spams, irritable bladder, and chronic pelvic pain.

This herb can be used dried in a tea (as in Cramp Tea) or as a tincture. Typically it is recommended that this herb (along with the others on this list) be used a few days prior to the period and during the whole bleed for best results.

Do not use this herb if you have kidney problems and shouldn’t been used during pregnancy or lactation without supervision from a qualified herbal practitioner.

#5 Ginger

Ginger is widely used in cooking and is seriously delicious. It’s so versatile, and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. It can also be used medicinally, as a tea, tincture or capsules. I use ginger quite a bit in the Tea Shop, and it plays a big role in my Cramp Tea.

Some of the many actions of ginger or Zingiber officinale include being a carminative (anti-gas), anti-nauseant, spasmolytic, anti-inflammatory, and a digestive stimulant. In fact- it has many of the same properties as chamomile, as these herbs are often combine together.

Many women experience digestive upset alongside their menstrual flow and cramps, making ginger an ideal choice. In studies for it’s anti-inflammatory benefits, it has been shown just as or more effective than over-the-counter NSAIDs.

In an Iranian study on women with dysmenorrhea, after using ginger for just one menstrual cycle, the severity of their cramps went from 28% to 8% and 36% of these women were “considerably relieved” from their cramps using ginger.

#6 Parsley

An unusual choice, and most often thought of as a culinary herb, parsley has many medicinal benefits as well.

One special property of parsley is it being an emmenagogue meaning that it stimulates menstrual flow. This is perfect for women who notice brown/pinkish spotting before their red flow arrives or experience menstrual cycle irregularities.

Like raspberry leaf, parsley contains many menstrual-supportive nutrients such as calcium, magnesium (a natural muscle relaxant), B vitamins and iron.
Because it helps to cleanse the kidneys, it may help to reduce bloating and water retention contributing to menstrual symptoms like breast tenderness, bloating and that ‘full’ feeling in the uterus that often comes along with cramps.

Growing up, my breakfast was almost completely made up of breakfast cereals. But, my mom would only let my sister and I have the “healthy” cereals- Cheerios, Special K, and more. She would let us choose a sugary cereal for special occasions only- Christmas and Birthdays. Fruit Loops and Captain Crunch were my favs. She thought she was giving us the healthy choices on a daily basis- little did I know at the time that ALL breakfast cereals (yep, all of them) are crap. Crap for your health, crap for your hormones.

Maybe you have a similar story of using cereal, toast, bagels, muffins and other flour-based and sweet tasting products as your daily breakfast food. I get it- it’s tasty, it’s fast and really- who gives a fuck? It’s just some fuel to get you going, right?

Or perhaps you’re of the skipping breakfast camp. Too busy in the morning, or eating food first thing makes you want to puke your guts up. 

My job is to tell you the truth, and sometimes that means bursting your bubble. Eating a sugary, carb-heavy breakfast, or not eating breakfast at all, is totally unacceptable. 

Before you get huffy and close this page, please read on. I know you’ll understand by the end of this article and you’ll have some concrete examples of WHAT is in the perfect breakfast.

Why Your Current Breakfast Strategy Sucks

Breakfast is important. Skipping breakfast or eating a high carbohydrate breakfast like what I’ve mentioned above is seriously detrimental to your hormone balance, weight loss and energy-increasing efforts. Here’s why.

Cortisol, that stress hormone you’ve heard about, is highest first thing in the morning. Part of the reason for this is to get you up and out of bed, regulating your circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle. This is totally natural and normal, but problems can arise when a proper breakfast doesn’t follow the getting-out-of-bed. 

Cortisol is a hormone that stimulates the formation of new sugars to be released in the bloodstream. Often, cortisol will break down muscle and use your muscles to create the sugar. This is bad news for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you want sexy, lean muscle on your body because it burns more calories at rest than fat does. Second, if you use up all of your muscles, you will become very weak, your bones might be negatively effected and your hormones and nervous system will suffer. 

So, when cortisol is high in the morning, it’s important to eat a healthful breakfast to stop it from breaking down muscle to create sugar to keep you going. By eating breakfast, you tell your body you have nutrients and sugars, and can keep your precious muscle. 

This is What Happens in Your Body When You Eat a Sugary Breakfast

Let’s say you enjoy having the breakfast cereal Special K for breakfast. Or maybe another cereal, or toast, muffins or bagels. For our purposes, let’s stick with Special K. This cereal is promoted heavily as being a “healthy” breakfast option for women wanting to keep trim, and stay healthy. The main way the people at Special K pass this crap off as “healthy” is because it’s low calorie, and low fat. Neither of which are doing your health or hormones any favours. 

When you eat that cold, crunchy cereal first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (or with a BIG coffee, which will intensify all the effects), your body gets a sugar hit. Sorry Not sorry to say that even if the cereal doesn’t actually have “sugar” in the ingredients, the processed nature of it makes it almost indistinguishable from sugar in your body.

So, you get the sugar hit, and there’s no fibre, healthy fats or proteins to slow it down. Even if you have it with whole milk, this is still a mess. Your body receives that sugar rush, and so your blood sugar rises rapidly. In response to this huge lift in blood sugar, your pancreas releases insulin, your blood sugar regulating hormone, to get that sugar out of the blood and into the cells to make energy. 

So far, not too bad.

The problem arises when this cereal is more than a one time thing. Eventually, your body will make more and more insulin, and your cells will become desensitized to it. So, you can’t get the sugar in the cell and are left with high sugar and high insulin levels. Eventually, about an hour or two later, your body will crash. Blood sugar levels will dip drastically, as there’s no fat or protein to keep everything stable, and this is where the problems begin.

When that sugar dips, likely you’ll be feeling super hungry, and headed to the vending machine for chocolate, the corner store for a coffee or anything else that’s carb-loaded and sugary you can get your hands on for more quick energy.

Before you reach that ravenous state about an hour or two after breakfast, you’ll likely experience some crazy mood swings. Like WHO the fuck does she think she is, or I can’t BELIEVE hubby hasn’t done the dishes AGAIN after I’ve asked him a million times, or GAH I’m so ugly and fat, I can’t go on anymore. 

As you go through your day, now on this blood sugar roller coaster, you’ll be cravings carbs and sugars, having crazy, embarrassing mood swings and feeling like a zombie without a brain as you move from one thing to the next.

And guess what happens when your insulin and sugar are chronically out of whack?

FAT storage.

Yep, insulin turns into a fat storage hormone instead of a blood-sugar regulating hormone when there’s a lot of it, and when your body has become desensitized to it’s blood-sugar regulating abilities. 

And you know where the fat goes?

Your BELLY. 

So what’s the moral of this story? Eat breakfast.

And make it a good one.

Three Parts to a Hormone Balancing Breakfast

There are three parts to any hormone-balancing breakfast. As you create breakfasts for your own life, be sure to include all three parts, and you’ll know with confidence you’ve created a healthy breakfast for yourself. 

Protein

Protein is the first thing a hormone-balancing breakfast should have. Protein as you’ve learned above helps to build and maintain lean muscle, which is super important for your hormones. Protein helps to slow the blood sugar spike with a meal, as it digests more slowly than carbs. Also, if you notice low energy, weak nails, poor skin quality and hair thinning, you may not be getting enough protein, or you might not be absorbing it well. 

How much: Aim for 20-30g at least of protein with each meal.

Sources: (Choose organic and/or grass-fed sources) Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Bison, Beef, Salmon, Cod, Herring, Mackerel, Sardines, all other fish, Crab, Oysters, all other seafood, Protein Powder (non-dairy), Collagen Hydrolysate Protein Powder (like Great Lakes), Nuts and Seeds like hemp and chia, Legumes like chickpeas, black beans and lentils

Fat

Fat is the #1 most important macronutrient you need in your breakfast (and all meals). Did you know that FAT (specifically cholesterol) is used to make ALL steroid hormones? That’s right, you use fat to create estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and other hormones. Also, each of the billions of cells in your body has a membrane made mostly of fat. If you don’t get enough, your cells won’t function well and your hormones will be bat-shit crazy. 

Fat is also the slowest digesting marconutrient, and it stimulates some digestive processes as well. This means that fat will drastically reduce the sugar spike of any meal you eat. 

However, the TYPE of fat you eat matters. Don’t take this as permission to go to the local McDonald’s and grab a huge burger and milkshake because there’s fat in it. That just doesn’t cut it. 

Including healthy sources of fats, and removing rancid fats like vegetable oils, fried foods and packaged foods which are loaded with inflammatory trans fats are a good place to start. 

How much: Aim for 1-2 tbsp (at least!!) of ADDED fats to each meal

Sources: Coconut meat, milk and oil, Avocados and their oil, hemp seeds and oil, chia seeds, all other nuts/seeds and their oils or butters, pastured lard, grass-fed butter, organic ghee (clarified butter), extra virgin olive oil, fats naturally occurring in meats like chicken skin, MCT oil

Fibre

Fibre is the final component of a good hormone-balancing breakfast. Fibre is also the only nutrient I would say is optional some of the time. If you have bowel issues, the fibre is NOT optional. Fibre of course comes from plant foods that also provide us with carbohydrates. Please note that I do not consider carbs to be the enemy, and in fact believe that a long-term extremely low carb diet is detrimental to your hormone healing. 

Fibre, like protein and fat, helps to slow the blood sugar spike when we eat. It also helps us to excrete excess hormones that have been metabolized through the liver and come out in our poop. Fibre helps to keep our digestive system clean by gently “brushing” the sides of our intestines and keeping everything moving properly. Fibre also helps to feed good bacteria in our gut. 

How much: Aim for 35g to 45g as a daily total. If you are trying to conceive or have ovulation difficulties, shoot for the lower end. 

Sources: All fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach), broccoli, cabbage, apples, pears, berries, brussels sprouts, avocados, lentils, black beans, flax, chia and hemp seeds, all other nuts and seeds, gluten-free whole grains like quinoa and millet

Hormone-Balancing Breakfast Examples

Here are a few breakfast ideas to use as examples.

Note that PRO = protein, FAT = fat, and FIB = fibre

• 2 eggs (PRO, FAT), cooked in 1 tbsp coconut oil (FAT), served with 1 cup kale (FIB) sauteed in 1 tbsp coconut oil (FAT)
• Smoothie: 1 serving protein powder (PRO), 1 cup non-dairy milk, 1 tbsp cashew butter (FAT), handful swiss chard (FIB), 1/3 cup berries (FIB), and 2 tsp coconut oil (FAT)
• Porridge: see recipe below

Hormone-Balancing Breakfast Recipe

What Is Insulin Resistance

Causes

Poor Diet

Sedentary Lifestyle

Genetics

Main Symptoms

• Getting “Hangry” (mood swings, irritability in between meals)
• Family or personal history of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or high triglycerides
• Weight gain, especially in the belly (the dreaded belly fat!!)
• PCOS
• Tiredness after a meal
• General fatigue or exhaustion
• Poor menstrual cycle health
• Infertility

Insulin Resistance and Your Hormones 

Cortisol

Reproductive Hormones Like Estrogen and Testosterone

Guest Post by Lydia Jarjoura.

I often get asked what a woman’s menstrual cycle has to do with the Moon. So I start by explaining the message of the Lunar Rhythms.  This celestial body holds the most sacred cycle within; a cycle that is not unlike a woman’s internal rhythm.  Many of us have noticed the pull of a bright, Full Moon during a cloudless night.  We have all seen her morph into a silver crescent of light as the month goes on.  But what most of us aren’t taught, is that these distinct phases of the Moon’s cycle greatly affect our own psyches, our energy, even our dreams.  

Civilization’s way of tracking time was born out of the lunar rhythms that have always taken place in the atmosphere above us.  The origins of the word, Moon, come from the word month and menses both in Old English and Greek. This is where we get the words month, menstruation, menarch, and many more words with “me”- to measure.  

There was a time, before our mothers and our grandmothers and perhaps even their mothers, where all life and time was governed by the Moon cycle.  Before artificial light, hormone disrupting diets (ex. processed foods) and the rise of hormonal birth control, most all women would experience their period on the New Moon and would ovulate at the Full Moon. This cycle is our default setting and it’s only been until fairly recently that we have disrupted our own biology.

Because women would bleed together each month on the New Moon, this was considered the beginning of the month, and the beginning of their cycle. The Menstrual phase (New Moon) is the beginning of the 4 week cycle that brings with it distinct energetic and physical changes throughout the month.  After the Menstrual/New Moon phase, the light starts to grow fuller as it moves into the Waxing phase. In a woman’s body, this is called the Follicular phase.  From here, the Moon grows to its full brightness, in the Full moon or Ovulatory stage.  After this peak of energy, it begins to Wane, moving into the Luteal phase.  

Each of these phases brings about a specific energetic element and learning to go with the flow of your own cycle allows you to embrace those energies.  I always encourage women, before they begin tracking the cycles of the Moon, to track their own cycle.  This can be done by keeping a period calendar; begin on the first day of bleeding and write Day 1 on your calendar, on the date that you began bleeding.  At the end of each day, jot down any physical or emotional energies you experienced like happy, sad, angry. Or you could do a smiley (or sad) face to notate how you felt overall each day.  After a few months of tracking, you’ll notice a rhythm to your moods and your physical changes within.  Begin to note what phase the Moon is in when you start bleeding (you can do a quick Google search for the specific day to find out the Moon’s phase).  Many women find that they bleed around the New Moon or the Full Moon phase.  

It used to be said that a woman who bled around the Full Moon were the wisdom keepers and the leaders of the community.  Women who bleed around the New Moon are the Mothers and their body’s act as a mirror to the Earth’s natural fertile cycle. Over the course of a year, your cycle will shift and your bleeding time will move to a different phase. Take note of where your bleeding lands in the cycle and see if that is being reflected in your current life. If your period lands around the Full Moon, are you finding more time to be creative, to start new projects or to tap into some ancient wisdom? When you bleed around the New Moon, are you nurturing yourself and others? Are you giving birth to something new in your life? It’s amazingly empowering to have a full awareness of your body’s changes, both physical and emotional, as you harness the power of your own Moon cycle.

Just remember, many cultures did and still do, regard a woman’s menstrual cycle as the most sacred gift and a way to reach a higher realm of consciousness.  Your body is a blessing and by learning to Reclaim our Cycles, we can tap into the gifts that it provides.

Note from Robyn: Lydia has graciously provided me with a special discount for her brilliant ebook, Moon Sessions: Reclaim Your Cycles.  A guide for reclaiming your body’s cycles, regaining your health, and renewing your spirit. I’d like to share it with you! Enjoy 10% off the Moon Sessions ebook with coupon code RENEW at checkout. Grab the ebook here. 

Lunar Nourishment is a wellness platform rooted in ritual and the rhythms of the Moon. Twin sisters Lydia and Marlena Jarjoura provide education, ritual tools, gemstone jewelry and more to empower women to embrace their natural cycles. Our bodies are a vessel for healing and strength; Lunar Nourishment provides support to help women (and men!) nourish Mind, Body and Spirit in a holistic and healthy way. Are you ready to live authentically and embrace the spirit within?  You can connect with Lydia and her sister on her Website, Facebook  and Instagram. 

Article Image Credit: www.lunarnourishment.com