Wise Woman Way: Heavy bleeding during menstruation

by Susun Weed | Nov 10, 2010 | Columns, Magazine, Wise Woman Ways | 1 comment

Hi Susun,
I am 42 and severely disabled by lyme. I started Buhner’s Healing Lyme herbal protocol. I also have endometriosis, fibroids, and very heavy bleeding. I learned about Vitex from this site and tried it. I just got my first period since being on the herb and already have a wonderful improvement. Now I need to decrease the duration and intensity of the bleeding. The bleeding got even worse since lyme came into the picture. My doctor said I need a hysterectomy, but I’m too sick now for surgery. What may I do to shorten the bleeding?

response from Kim, apprentice to Susun Weed:
Yes, there are some things you can do for flooding. First thing, several tinctures that are helpful would be Shepherd’s purse, Witch hazel and Lady’s mantle. You would take a dropperful, 4-6 times a day. If bleeding is extreme, it should start slowly within minutes, and within 48 hours if leaking. I find Shepherd’s purse tincture very helpful for the immediate issue and Lady’s mantle as a nice ally for long-term. When 10-30 drops of the Lady’s mantle tincture were taken 3 times a day 1-2 weeks before menstruation, it prevented flooding altogether.

Astringent uterine tonics such as red raspberry leaves, garden sage and black haw bark can help. Make an infusion of these herbs (you can combine or use single herbs rotated) – drink a cup or more a day at either room temperature or cooler for best effect.

Women with fibroids also have found great relief from using drinking Shepherd’s purse as an infusion, used daily. Same with witch hazel infusion. [how to make an infusion]

Firebird Goddess ©Selina di Girolamo

Some things to keep an eye on:

• If you drink red clover infusions, don’t drink more than 1 quart a week – this will help with fibroids, but if you drink more than that amount, or use tincture, it can increase bleeding tendencies of fibroids.

• Strengthening the liver with dandelion and yellow dock helps metabolize strong estrogens into weak ones, reducing fibroids.

• Both dandelion and yellow dock are tremendous sources of usable iron, something you need to address if having heavy and/or constant bleeding. Add cooked dandelion greens to diet, put yellow dock root vinegar on salads, or use tincture.

• I don’t know how long you have been taking Vitex, but continuing with the tincture will work on decreasing flooding and is helpful for fibroids. It is a slow-working treatment and can take months before manifesting results.

I am also including a link to Susun’s article on fibroids that may be useful.

Blessings, Kim

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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Bird on July 17, 2012 at 4:56 am

This was incredibly interesting for me to read. I have been suffering from Lyme Disease for ten years and I just found a doctor two months ago that would test for it. It turned out positive and I also have ehrlichiosis as well. I have found an LLMD and she is treating me with Doxycycline. I know it is not natural but my condition is so bad we needed to do something hard and fast. I am just learning about herbal remedies now and I have been on organic grass fed meat and organic veggies and fruits for the most part for three years now.

I too have very heavy periods and uterine fibroids. They became much worse after I was infected with Lyme and the co infections. I am severely anemic and am taking natural iron and drinking a lot of fresh veggie juices with spinach, beets, kale, anything I can toss into it. I am now just learning about infusions and want to start with those.

I have all sorts of heart palps, PVCs, skipped beats, etc… the doctor says it’s because of the Lyme and my other doctor says it’s hormones, and I believe both is true. I’m 45.

I have read that Vitex can cause racing heart issues and palps. Should I be concerned about this? I want to treat my fibroids and my heavy bleeding and my doctor wants me on progesterone but I’m afraid that will cause more issues. Not sure how to proceed.

Thank you so much,
Bird