Periods Don’t Need to Be Painful!
5 time-tested botanicals deliver fast relief from period pain
Every woman goes through it every month for decades. And for many of us, the pain is so bad it interferes with our lives.
Period pain may force you stay in bed… miss work or school… and suffer until you make it through to the other side. That pain can feel unbearable and inevitable.
But you don’t have just live with it. Yes, it’s a natural part of life, but nature also provides safe, effective ways to quiet cramping, soothe period pain, boost your mood, and get you back to your day in comfort. You just have to know where to look.
What’s Behind Period Pain
Dysmenorrhea, the medical term for period pain, affects more than 80% of women. The throbbing, cramping sensation can range from mild to “I can’t move,” and wherever your pain falls on that scale can decrease your quality of life.
During your period, your uterus has to contract to shed its lining. Hormone-like chemicals called prostaglandins signal the uterine muscles and blood vessels to tighten, which can reduce the amount of blood and oxygen flowing to the uterus. Higher levels of prostaglandins can cause more intense and more frequent uterine contractions.
Painful period cramps happen when your uterine muscle has particularly strong contractions. The pain can start in your abdomen and radiate out to your lower back and down your legs. Sometimes those uterine contractions are so intense they can affect your digestive system, causing symptoms like diarrhea or nausea.
The pain can be agonizing and disabling, bad enough to keep you unable to do your normal activity for a few days every month.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
Period Pain Gets Dismissed and Downplayed
Women are often conditioned to just accept period pain – even intense, disabling pain – as a fact of life. And when you hear that from all sides, you start to believe it. You may even start to downplay your own pain and try to power through it.
Women also rarely seek medical attention, even when their period pain is severe. One study found that women had nine key reasons for that including:
- assuming the pain was normal
- not believing providers would offer help
- not being aware that treatment options exist
- feeling embarrassed to seek care
- believing their symptoms were tolerable
The truth is that between 45% and 95% of all women worldwide – at least 855 million people – suffer from painful periods. And the few treatment options they do know about aren’t much help.
Over-the-Counter Options Can Leave You Feeling Worse
Imagine you go to the drugstore, desperate for relief from your period pain. You grab one of the best-selling OTC drugs that’s supposed to be designed just for this. You don’t even bother to look at the ingredients – you just want the pain to stop – and you take the pills as soon as you can.
You may be surprised to find out what’s actually in those pills. Every dose contains
- 1000 mg of acetaminophen
- 120 mg of caffeine
- 30 mg of pyrilamine maleate
There’s a lot wrong with that formula.
First, taking too much acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage. The maximum safe daily dose is 4,000 mg (for people who weigh at least 110 pounds)… and following the instructions for this medication gets you up to 3,000 mg daily. That acetaminophen level calls for a liver toxicity warning label.
Second, every dose contains more caffeine that a large cup of coffee, which can leave you feeling jittery and irritable. Plus, research shows that consuming caffeine and acetaminophen together can increase the risk of liver toxicity.
Third, pyrilamine maleate is an antihistamine, normally used to treat allergies. What?!
And then there’s the list of side effects that include dizziness, drowsiness, constipation, blurry vision, stomach upset, and nervousness.
Luckily, this is not your only – or best – option for relief.
5 Natural Botanicals Turn Down the Volume on Period Pain
Imagine quick, safe relief from period pain and other symptoms. So you wouldn’t have to suffer for days every month. Your life wouldn’t get interrupted during every cycle. And you could experience your period more comfortably.
For generations, women all over the world have been relying on plants to ease period pain. And while these amazing herbs are not known by many here in America, they are very well known in other countries that prioritize herbal medicine and they’re backed by hundreds – even thousands – of years of safe use in traditional medicine.
These five time-tested natural remedies offer fast relief from painful cramping, irritability, and other symptoms brought on by menstruation.
Cramp bark gets its name from its amazing ability to treat cramps, It has been used to soothe period pain and ease menstrual cramping for hundreds of years. This plant remedy works by quickly calming muscle contractions, including uterine muscles, and relaxing blood vessels.
Dong quai, a staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), used to support female reproductive health and menstruation. Also known as Angelica sinensis and “female ginseng,” dong quai is traditionally used as a tonic to restore balance and comfort. The plant contains special compounds that have antispasmodic properties, which ease muscle contractions, and the ability to widen and relax blood vessels for healthier blood flow.
White peony root is used in TCM to nourish the blood and promote hormone balance. It’s historically used to encourage healthy menstrual cycles and tame cramping. This botanical has also been shown to help lift moods, support proper inflammatory responses, and support healthy immune system function.
Red-rooted sage has been used in TCM since ancient times to improve blood circulation and menstruation. This plant is officially listed in Chinese Pharmacopoeia to help manage various gynecological issues and uterine health.
Cinnamon bark does a lot more than make everything taste better. It increases blood circulation in the uterus, provides powerful antioxidant protection, helps balance blood sugar and blood pressure, and supports healthy inflammatory responses.
Enjoy Sweet Relief with PMS ASAP
Your period shouldn’t keep you on the sidelines of your life, quietly enduring days of distress. You can say goodbye to those monthly struggles and sail through your period with ease and comfort with PMS ASAP.
Formulated by a master herbalist, PMS ASAP draws from the positive experiences of generations of women around the world to create a natural remedy for fast relief from period pain. It combines the period-soothing powers of 5 time-tested herbs:
- Cramp bark
- Dong quai
- White peony root
- Red-rooted sage
- Cinnamon bark
When your next period hits, try PMS ASAP to stay as comfortable as every other day.
Resources
Atsamo AD, Lontsie Songmene A, Metchi Donfack MF, Ngouateu OB, Nguelefack TB, Dimo T. Aqueous Extract from Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Lauraceae) Stem Bark Ameliorates Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Markers. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Jul 19;2021:5543889.
Burke BE, Olson RD, Cusack BJ. Randomized, controlled trial of phytoestrogen in the prophylactic treatment of menstrual migraine. Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Aug;56(6):283-8.
Chang X, Jia H, Zhou C, Zhang H, Yu M, Yang J, Zou Z. Role of Bai-Shao towards the antidepressant effect of Chaihu-Shu-Gan-San using metabonomics integrated with chemical fingerprinting. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2015 Dec 1;1006:16-29.
Chen CX, Shieh C, Draucker CB, Carpenter JS. Reasons women do not seek health care for dysmenorrhea. J Clin Nurs. 2018 Jan;27(1-2):e301-e308. doi: 10.1111/jocn.13946. Epub 2017 Sep 7. PMID: 28681499; PMCID: PMC5746430.
Chen XP, Li W, Xiao XF, Zhang LL, Liu CX. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies on Radix Angelica sinensis. Chin J Nat Med. 2013 Nov;11(6):577-87. doi: 10.1016/S1875-5364(13)60067-9. PMID: 24345498.
Chen Y, Liu J, Zhang J, Yang L, Jin L. Research progress in the quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza based on the association of 'morphological features - functional substances - pharmacological action - clinical efficacy'. Heliyon. 2023 Sep 25;9(10):e20325.
Dietz BM, Hajirahimkhan A, Dunlap TL, Bolton JL. Botanicals and Their Bioactive Phytochemicals for Women's Health. Pharmacol Rev. 2016 Oct;68(4):1026-1073.
Doleeb, Z, et al. Underrecognition of Dysmenorrhea Is an Iatrogenic Harm. AMA J Ethics. 2022;24(8):E740-747. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2022.740.
Farzam K, Sabir S, O'Rourke MC. Antihistamines. 2023 Jul 10. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 30844215.
Gao Q, Shen L, Jiang B, Luan YF, Lin LN, Meng FC, Wang CY, Cong HF. Salvia miltiorrhiza-Containing Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined With GnRH Agonist for Postoperative Treatment of Endometriosis: A Systematic Review and meta-Analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 16;13:831850.
Gerriets V, Anderson J, Patel P, et al. Acetaminophen. [Updated 2024 Jan 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482369/
Gudipally PR, Sharma GK. Premenstrual Syndrome. 2023 Jul 17. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 32809533.
He DY, Dai SM. Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of paeonia lactiflora pall., a traditional chinese herbal medicine. Front Pharmacol. 2011 Feb 25;2:10.
Itani R, Soubra L, Karout S, Rahme D, Karout L, Khojah HMJ. Primary Dysmenorrhea: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Updates. Korean J Fam Med. 2022 Mar;43(2):101-108.
Ju H, Jones M, Mishra G. The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. Epidemiol Rev. 2014;36:104-13.
Kajszczak D, Zakłos-Szyda M, Podsędek A. Viburnum opulus L.-A Review of Phytochemistry and Biological Effects. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 5;12(11):3398.
LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012–. Antihistamines. 2017 Jan 16. PMID: 31643232.
Mao QQ, Ip SP, Xian YF, Hu Z, Che CT. Anti-depressant-like effect of peony: a mini-review. Pharm Biol. 2012 Jan;50(1):72-7. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2011.602696. PMID: 22196583.
Margueritte F, Fritel X, Serfaty A, Coeuret-Pellicer M, Fauconnier A. Screening women in young adulthood for disabling dysmenorrhoea: a nationwide cross-sectional study from the CONSTANCES cohort. Reprod Biomed Online. 2024 Feb 6;49(1):103861.
MEIm XD, Cao YF, Che YY, Li J, Shang ZP, Zhao WJ, Qiao YJ, Zhang JY. Danshen: a phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Chin J Nat Med. 2019 Jan;17(1):59-80.
Nagy H, Carlson K, Khan MAB. Dysmenorrhea. 2023 Nov 12. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 32809669.
Ní Chéileachair F, McGuire BE, Durand H. Coping with dysmenorrhea: a qualitative analysis of period pain management among students who menstruate. BMC Womens Health. 2022 Oct 5;22(1):407.
Pagliari S, et al. Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) Bark Extract after In Vitro Digestion Simulation. Foods. 2023 Jan 18;12(3):452.
Rao PV, Gan SH. Cinnamon: a multifaceted medicinal plant. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:642942.
Shirzad F, Morovatdar N, Rezaee R, Tsarouhas K, Abdollahi Moghadam A. Cinnamon effects on blood pressure and metabolic profile: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with stage 1 hypertension. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2021 Jan-Feb;11(1):91-100.
Trimarco V, Rozza F, Izzo R, De Leo V, Cappelli V, Riccardi C, Di Carlo C. Effects of a new combination of nutraceuticals on postmenopausal symptoms and metabolic profile: a crossover, randomized, double-blind trial. Int J Womens Health. 2016 Oct 11;8:581-587.
Triwahyuningsih RY, Rahfiludin MZ, Sulistiyani S, Widjanarko B. Role of stress and physical activity on primary dysmenorrhea: A cross-sectional study. Narra J. 2024 Apr;4(1):e685.
Wiggleton-Little J. "Just" a painful period: A philosophical perspective review of the dismissal of menstrual pain. Womens Health (Lond). 2024 Jan-Dec;20:17455057241255646.
Related Posts