Top 5 Herbal remedies for Easing Period Cramps

Can Herbal remedies Ease Period Cramps?

Updated November 12th 2023

This winter I was stressed out and had a bad pelvic pain flare. Whaaat?

I thought Iʼd beaten these crazy bad cramps that brought me to my knees, crawling around on the floor from pain worse than labor. 

On a normal day though, I no longer pass out from cramps, and go about my day with minimal pain. In this post,  I am going to share with you my go to womb herbs for period cramps that actually work.

Because I felt caught between a rock and a hard place, I ended up on the continuous birth control pill at one point for pelvic pain. I have also worked with countless women that have tried the pill, synthetic hormones, and the Mirena to stop severe period cramps and these either had too many negative side effects or were not effective. 

Finally I decided to stop taking the continuous birth control pill because it was causing daily pelvic pain. Sometimes we try everything, nothing works, and we get to a point where we are completely desperate.

First, if terrible cramps are getting in the way of your normal activities, it is so important to find out what the cause of your period cramps is through proper diagnosis by a medical professional. 

Common Causes of Period Cramps

Common causes of severe period cramps, or dysmenorrhea, can include:

• Adenomyosis

• Endometriosis

• Hormone issues

• Strep bacteria and/or EBV in the reproductive system

• Fibroids or polyps

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

As an herbalist and hormone coach, I want to share exactly what has helped my clients to ease period cramps holistically.  

These five herbs have helped me relieve pain in minutes.  You may find it feels so empowering to use natural and herbal remedies.  

I grow three of these herbal remedies in my Vermont backyard, harvest them, and connect with their plant medicine before making them into teas and alcohol free extracts.  

If you buy herbs, make sure they are organic and/or wild crafted from a non polluted area.

Disclaimer: The information in this post is for education purposes only – not for diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with certain medications, so it’s important to take them under the guidance of a trained medical practitioner.

Nettle for Period Cramps 

Nettles are a plant that have both relieved cramps and kept me going when my energy was low.  🌱. Nettles contain loads of vitamins and minerals to nourish your adrenal glands, thyroid, and liver.  

They are high in both iron and vitamin C, and they support your liver in balancing estrogen levels.  Nettles are a blood builder and gentle detoxifier. (1)

 Ginger for Period Cramps

The warming, spicy scent of ginger is welcomed in my home during cold Vermont winters.  Have you tried juicing turmeric and ginger and mixing it with some lemon and  honey?   It’s divine!  

250mg of ginger three times a day has been shown to reduce heavy, painful periods and improve digestion while you’re at it!

Ginger is a strong anti inflammatory and anti prostaglandin that is proven to be  as effective as NSAIDS like Advil for painful period cramps.  [2]

Cinnamon for Period Cramps

Do you have good memories of baking with cinnamon?  Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices in the world, and it has been used for its healing powers in many kinds of holistic medicine.

Two capsules of Ceylon cinnamon twice a day at 420 mg has been shown to lower nausea and diarrhea associated with painful periods, pelvic pain, and heavy periods.  

Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, an antispasmodic, and eugenol which stops the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and reduces inflammation.  

Since it relaxes the smooth muscle tissues in the pelvis, it also relaxes the smooth muscle in our digestive tract.  [3].

Valerian for Period Cramps

Valerian is an anti spasmodic for menstrual cramps and helps you 💤 sleep.  Taking 255mg of valerian for the first three days of your period lessens stabbing and aching cramps.  Valerian is not recommended for long term use.  [4].

Thyme for Period Cramps

Did you know that when I first learned about the healing properties of fresh thyme tea, I tried it and just couldn’t stand the taste? I found mixing it with some lemon balm tea, lemon, and a lot of honey made it taste good.  Now, I love it even just with some honey.  

A clinical study of women with dysmenorrhea (very painful periods) shows that thyme works as an equally powerful anti-inflammatory compared to ibuprofen for menstrual cramps by inhibiting the enzyme COX-2. The thymol in thyme reduces pelvic swelling.  [5]

Tea for Period Cramps

Cramp Chai Recipe

If you know me, you know I can’t resist chai. But, this recipe is my fav because it’s sweet, spicy, and has ginger and cinnamon that’s proven to relieve cramps, so drink up!

Ingredients:  

• 2 tsp. organic turmeric powder or 2 small pieces fresh grated turmeric

• 2 tsp. ginger powder or 2 small pieces fresh grated ginger

• 1/4 c raw honey 

• 2 cups almond, oat, or coconut milk, or non dairy creamer 

• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 small cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder 

In a medium sized saucepan, boil 2 cups of filtered water and add all ingredients except the honey.  Simmer on low/medium heat for 20- 30 minutes.  Strain any large pieces.  Stir in honey at the end and enjoy!

In addition to trying a recipe, I hope you’ve discovered a new herb you just can’t help but fall in love with through this post.  Plant medicine may be right outside your doorstep if you slow down and tune into nature.  

Now that you’ve made herbs into tea, get creative and try adding herbs and medicinal flowers to your bath! Plants are not only medicine, they are also magic in a bath in essence.  Flower and Herbal Baths is a heartfelt book that will help you use the right medicinal flowers and plants in your bath for healing of the mind and body.

 I created this herbal and flower bath recipe book for all you with period cramps. Get my secret hormone balancing bath recipe and natural pain killer bath recipe.

Research Studies:

1). HIGHLIGHTS ON NUTRITIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF STINGING NETTLE (Urtica dioica) (International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences).

https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijpps/article/view/8165/6165

2]. Ozgoli G, Goli M, Moattar F. Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15s129–132. [PubMed]

3]. Molouk Jaafarpour, Masoud Hatefi, […], and Ali Khani. 2015. The Effect of Cinnamon on Menstrual Bleeding and Systemic Symptoms With Primary Dysmenorrhea. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4443385/

4]. Doulatian M., Mirabi P., Mojab F., Alavi Majd H. 2011. The effect of Valerian plant on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea. https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21959068/

5].  Comparative effect of thymus vulgaris and ibuprofen on primary dysmenorrhea: A triple-blind clinical study

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24778782/