Herbs And Herbal Remedies For PMS Relief

While PMS is technically premenstrual syndrome, women generally think of PMS as uncomfortable physical and emotional feelings that occur before and during menses.

Common challenges women face are anxiety, irritability, depression, cramps, headaches, fluid retention, lethargy, and excessive menstrual flow. Fortunately, there are many herbs for PMS which work extremely well to alleviate this diverse group of maladies.

Fluid Retention is Responsible for Many Symptoms of PMS

Hormonal fluctuations before and during menses often results in fluid retention. Some symptoms related to fluid retention are obvious, such as bloating and temporary weight gain; however, did you know that fluid retention is a factor in headaches, mood changes, and lethargy too?

Fortunately there is a very well tolerated herb which rids the body of excess fluid rapidly. It is the humble dandelion. Use young freshly picked dandelion greens to make a salad or purchase dandelion leaf tincture or tea for convenience. I recommend the tincture, unless you are combining the herb with other herbs, as it is not very tasty.

Dandelion can effectively remove excess fluid from the body as well as the diuretic drug, furosemide. Unlike the drug, dandelion leaf does not deplete the body of potassium. In fact, dandelion greens contain many vitamins and minerals which are great for women’s health. Dandelion is a great source of iron which sometimes gets depleted if menstrual flow is excessive.

Other herbal diuretics include nettle and parsley. Eat these herbs regularly or take supplements. In addition to their diuretic properties, these dark green leafy herbs are rich sources of calcium. Calcium sooths and nourishes the nerves, reducing physical and emotional irritability. All contain vitamin K. Nettle is an especially rich source of vitamin K which prevents excessive bleeding.

Another herb which is beneficial if the menstrual flow is excessive is yarrow. It can staunch excessive bleeding and relieve cramps.

Normalize Hormones with Herbs

Vitex, also known as chaste tree berry, can normalize progesterone levels within six to eight weeks. Progesterone is a hormone which works with estrogen. If progesterone and estrogen levels are imbalanced, many maladies may arise. Vitex is especially helpful for women who experience distress due to uterine fibroids. Vitex can shrink fibroids considerably, resulting in less discomfort and a lighter menstrual flow.

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