Natural solutions for PMS

by Susun Weed | Sep 5, 2010 | Columns, Magazine, Wise Woman Ways | 0 comments

Hi Susun,

Is there something natural that would help with severe pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)? I’m completely done with trying antidepressants. But I still suffer and could really use some help. If one more person recommends chamomile tea I’m going to scream! I’m interested in a natural approach other then what you can find in a grocery store. Thank you!

Susun’s response:

Water retention, mood swings, sore breasts, and indigestion are problems experienced by many women in the week preceding menstruation. Here are a few tips from my book, NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (Alternatives for Women 30-90) to help ease these discomforts.

To relieve water retention

1) 10-20 drops of dandelion root tincture in a cup of water with meals and before bed.

2) A strong infusion (one ounce of dried herb in a quart of boiling water, brewed overnight) of the common weed, stinging nettle, not only relieves, but also helps prevent further episodes of water retention. I drink a cup or more of this infusion daily whenever I want to nourish my kidneys and adrenals.

To moderate mood swings

3) Tincture of the flowering tops of fresh motherwort is one of my favorite calmatives. I use 5-10 drops in a small amount of water as a dose, which I repeat as needed, sometimes as frequently as 3-4 times an hour, until the desired effect is achieved. I never feel drugged or groggy or out-of-it when I use motherwort to help me calm down.

4) For women who consistently feel premenstrual rage, use 20-30 drops of motherwort tincture twice a day for a month to help stabilize mood swings. Make it a priority to take a moon day — one day right before or at the start of the menstrual flow which is set aside for you and you alone.

5) One or more cups of an infusion of the herb oatstraw (the grass of the plant that gives us oatmeal) helps the nerves calm down and provides a rich source of minerals known to soothe frazzeled emotions.

To relieve congestion and tenderness in the breasts

6) 20-30 drops of the tincture of cleavers, another common weed, works wonders. This plant, also called “goose grass” was used as a black tea substitute by the colonists. The dose may be repeated every hour or up to 6 times a day.

7) Women who get a lot of calcium and magnesium from their diet (leafy greens, yogurt, and many herbs are rich in these minerals) have less breast tenderness. Increase the minerals in your diet with a cup or more of red clover/mint infusion daily.

8) Large cabbage leaves, steamed whole until soft, and applied as warm as tolerable, can be used as a soothing compress on breasts which are sore and swollen.

To relieve digestive distress

9) A daily dose of 1 teaspoonful/5ml yellow dock root vinegar.

10) A cup of yogurt in the morning (buy it plain and add fruit at home) replaces gut flora and insures easy digestion all day long.

Green blessings, Susun Weed

Author

Susun Weed

Susun S. Weed has no official diplomas of any kind; she left high school in her junior year to pursue studies in mathematics and artificial intelligence at UCLA and she left college in her junior year to pursue life.

Susun began studying herbal medicine in 1965 when she was living in Manhattan while pregnant with her daughter, Justine Adelaide Swede.

She wrote her first book -- Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (now in its 30th printing) -- in 1985 and published it as the first title of Ash Tree Publishing in 1986.

It was followed by Healing Wise (1989), New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (1992 and revised in 2002), Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way (1996), Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way (2011), Abundantly Well - Seven Medicines (2019).

In addition to her writing, Ms Weed trains apprentices, oversees the work of more than 300 correspondence course students, coordinates the activities of the Wise Woman Center, and is a High Priestess of Dianic Wicca, a member of the Sisterhood of the Shields, and a Peace Elder.

Susun Weed is a contributor to the Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women's Studies, peer- reviewed journals, and popular magazines, including a regular column in Sagewoman.

Her worldwide teaching schedule encompasses herbal medicine, ethnobotany, pharmacognosy, psychology of healing, ecoherbalism, nutrition, and women's health issues and her venues include medical schools, hospital wellness centers, breast cancer centers, midwifery schools, naturopathic colleges, and shamanic training centers, as well as many conferences.

Susun appears on many television and radio shows, including National Public Radio and NBC News.
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