Three years ago I was shopping with my husband in a small town several hours drive from home. I suddenly had to rush back to the car when I realized I was having a menstrual period. This had never happened before. I was shocked and scared that the bleeding wouldn’t stop! I figured there must be a natural method that could help me. After cleaning up in a nearby restroom, pale and weak but not ready to give up, I asked my husband to drive me to the town health food store.
“No,” the employee assured me with an amused smile, “there is nothing that will stop or slow down menstrual bleeding.” The bleeding eventually stopped on its own, but this comment from a well-meaning but ignorant employee left me angry and inspired to search for herbs that I knew must exist, that could do what she thought was impossible.
I found them.
Red raspberry leaf, lady’s mantle, shepherd’s purse and yarrow slow or reduce menstrual bleeding. With a little digging and experimentation, I found many other solutions to avoid the problem.
Prepare an infusion, also known as herbal tea, of one or more herbs, or purchase an herbal tincture from a health food store. I decided to make an infusion of a mixture of 1-2 tsp each: dried red raspberry leaves and lady’s mantle leaves, I covered the pot and let the herbs steep in just boiled water for 10 minutes. This treatment works best if you drink 1 cup daily about a week before your period and 1-2 cups during your period. If you like it sweeter, add several pieces of licorice root or a few lemon balm leaves to infuse with the red raspberry and lady’s mantle leaves, or ¼ tsp honey after the tea is ready.
An effective aromatherapy treatment is to rub your abdomen several times a day with 1 teaspoon olive oil or sweet almond oil mixed with 2-3 drops of sage or vitex essential oil.
I also came across an unusual suggestion for reducing heavy menstrual flow in an old herbal recipe by Dian Dincin Buchman in my personal library. “Grave and dry carrots and eat them one piece at a time several times a day as an effective aid in regulating menstruation. Grate about a pound from the heaviest part of the carrot. Dry it on paper in the sun for a week or two until it shrivels into small pieces.” She also suggests adding a few grains of cayenne pepper to your herbal tea of choice, drinking diluted lemon juice during your period, eating lentils and in the morning and drink half a cup of strong thyme tea in the evening. She suggests making shepherd’s purse tea by steeping a handful of the herb in half a liter of boiling water. Drink the tea warm if possible. Use 2 cups three times a day.
A long-term solution to addressing the underlying cause of hormonal imbalance is the wonderful lady’s herb Vitex aka chasteberry, which helps balance hormones. A scientific study from the 1930s using a tincture of dried Vitex berries found that a month or two of using this herb normalized the menstrual cycle and reduced blood flow.
Because excessive menstrual bleeding (or menorrhagia) can indicate several serious problems, be sure to consult your doctor for a diagnosis before beginning self-treatment.
An excess of estrogen and prolactin or an excess of a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin 2 are two possible causes of heavy menstrual bleeding. A sluggish thyroid also increases menstruation. The same goes for endometriosis, uterine fibroids, an IUD contraceptive, and blood-thinning medication.
Menstruation usually causes a drop in physical energy, and if you bleed profusely, you may find that your blood pressure drops, leading to a feeling of exhaustion and an irresistible desire to take a nap during the day! Excessive menstruation can lead to anemia and this can also lead to extreme fatigue. Some medical researchers believe that iron deficiency stimulates bleeding, leading to even greater iron deficiency.
To correct anemia, drink herbal teas made from herbs high in iron, including nettle, oatweed, red clover, red raspberry, goji berries, and rooibos. Your health food store has pills or liquid Floridix that are highly absorbable, unlike iron pills that are available at conventional drugstores.
If you have cramps along with heavy bleeding, use the same herbs recommended for relieving menstrual cramps — wild yam, false unicorn root, cramp bark, and American spikenard — to lessen the severity of both problems.
Herbs to reduce excessive menstruation
Vitex (aka chaste tree)- regulates and normalizes hormones associated with the reproductive system. It is particularly beneficial and is the herb of choice for many women to relieve menopausal symptoms. It has a profound effect in reducing “hot flashes”. Studies show that Vitex increases the production of luteinizing hormones and improves the progesterone cycle. At the same time, it inhibits the release of the follicle-stimulating hormone FSH and normalizes the estrogen cycle. Vitex can be used in acute situations but is most effective when taken over a long period of time. No side effects have ever been reported from extensive and extended use of this herb.
Red Raspberry: Due to the drying effect of the tannins it contains, red raspberry is used to treat heavy and painful menstruation. It relaxes uterine and intestinal spasms and strengthens the uterine walls. Red raspberry leaves are also nutritious — they contain vitamins A, B, C, and E — they’re also high in calcium, phosphorus, niacin, and iron. They are an excellent source of manganese, a trace element used by the body to produce healthy connective tissues such as bone matrix and cartilage and is an important factor in energy metabolism. Red Raspberry promotes healthy nails, bones, teeth and skin. Drinking 1-2 cups of red raspberry leaf every day is a nutritious restorative tea.
lady’s mantle:The astringent and styptic properties of lady’s mantle help relieve menstrual pain and reduce heavy menstrual bleeding. It helps a woman’s body adjust to changing hormone levels during menopause. It is an anti-estrogenic herb that helps regulate irregular cycles and relieve cramps.
yarrow:A catalyst for the female reproductive system, has a positive effect on ovarian problems, menstrual irregularities, menstrual cramps and menopausal symptoms, insomnia, nervous tension, stress-related conditions;. It is used to reduce excessive menstrual bleeding, relieve menstrual cramps, and stimulate delayed or absent menstrual cycles. The famous German herbalist Maria Treban writes: “Yarrow is a medicinal herb that one would not want to be without; it is of great value for many diseases, but primarily it is a herb for women. I cannot recommend yarrow enough for women. .A woman going through menopause should use yarrow tea and save herself a lot of anxiety and other problems.” Drink a cup of yarrow tea daily;
shepherd’s purse:Shepherd’s purse is used to stop heavy bleeding and bleeding, especially from the uterus when taken internally. It has also been used to treat postpartum hemorrhage. It is considered to be most effective for treating chronic uterine bleeding disorders, including uterine bleeding due to the presence of uterine fibroids. Shepherd’s purse has been used internally to treat cases of blood in the urine and bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, such as B. to treat bleeding ulcers. As an astringent, shepherd’s purse constricts blood vessels and reduces blood flow. It is also believed that the shepherd’s purse causes the uterine muscle to contract, which also helps reduce bleeding. It is a remedy for blood pressure problems, nosebleeds, irregular heartbeat, wounds and burns.
Warnings: Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with kidney stones or kidney disease should avoid shepherd’s purse. Consult your doctor before taking shepherd’s purse if you have blood pressure, thyroid, or heart problems.
Thanks to Wendy Vineyard
