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Herbs Found to be More Effective Than Drugs to Relieve Menstrual Pain

Chinese herbs may relieve menstrual cramps better than drugs, acupuncture, or heat compression, Australia-based researchers found after studying nearly 3,500 women in several countries.

Along with relieving pain, Chinese herbs also reduced the recurrence of cramps over a three-month period.

In the study, women were given herbal concoctions to regulate their “qi” (energy) and blood, warm their bodies, and boost their kidney and liver functions. Herbs in the study included, but were not limited to:

1. Chinese angelica root
2. Szechuan lovage root
3. Red peony root, white peony root
4. Chinese motherwort
5. Cinnamon bark

In one trial, 53 percent of the women who took herbs had less pain, compared with 26 percent in the placebo group.

The Chinese herbs were more effective than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral contraceptive pills, acupuncture, heat compressions, placebos, or no treatment at all.
 
Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat menstrual pain for hundreds of years. Up to 50 percent of women of reproductive age experience period pain that leads to absences from school and work.

Since relatively small numbers of participants were included in each trial in the study, the researchers recommended further research to confirm their findings.

Sources:



Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The drug companies have done a very good job of convincing and manipulating people to believe that if you are faced with pain, such as menstrual cramps, the only rational thing to relieve it is a drug.

This, of course, is not at all in your best interest, but it certainly is in theirs.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries and have been found to be effective. Even if they haven’t undergone scientific testing, they’ve withstood the test of time and the anecdotal evidence points to their usefulness.

However, just because your supplement is natural does not mean it is safe for you to take. My position on most supplements, including herbal remedies, is to try and avoid them and use lifestyle modifications to treat the foundational causes of your symptoms.

While herbs are generally far safer than drugs and usually cost less, they rarely treat the underlying cause of your symptom or disease.

In the case of menstrual cramps and PMS symptoms (anxiety, irritability, tearfulness, tension), dietary changes can be very useful to relieve your symptoms. You can try:
  • Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks
  • Reducing your sugar intake
  • Avoiding smoked cheeses, meats, and fish (as they can increase your fluid retention)
  • Making sure you’re getting enough nutrients in your diet, specifically vitamin B6, manganese, vitamins A and E, and tryptophan
Getting out in the sun, and making sure your vitamin D levels are optimized, is also important for PMS symptoms, as vitamin D plays a major role in your body’s hormone system.

Additionally, both calcium and vitamin E have been found to reduce PMS symptoms. Just make sure you’re getting your calcium from healthy sources (such as raw milk or green leafy vegetables, not processed, pasteurized, dairy products), and your vitamin E from dark, leafy, green vegetables, raw nuts, and seeds.

Finally, as some VitalVotes readers have suggested, exercise is another useful tool that helps to relieve menstrual cramps, perhaps because it raises your levels of endorphins, which are chemicals in your brain that are associated with pain relief.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (46)
 
 
Posted On Oct 18, 2007
Why are they so surprised that herbs work better than placebos or poisons.  Herbs have been tested for millennia, not just a few weeks.  The drug companies just do not know how to make a drug out of them yet.

Mary

 
mmc88121
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 11/2006
mmc88121  
Replied

Maj_203
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 3/2007
Maj_203  
 
Posted On Oct 23, 2007
Mary said: Why are they so surprised that herbs work better than placebos or poisons. Herbs have been tested for millennia, not just a few weeks. The drug companies just do not know how to make a drug out of them yet.

I'm going to hypothesize that the reason why Science doesn't acknowledge the efficacy of herbs is because they were prevalently used before the Scientific Method made them official. I'm also guessing that Western civilization's association of herbal remedies with the witches of medieval times made herbs truly unscientific, and rather than apply scientific processes to old wisdom, they just threw the baby out with the bathwater and reinvented the wheel.




CSR
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 8/2007
CSR  
 
Posted On Oct 23, 2007
Yes, I can't remember where the study is published, and perhaps I even read it on mercola.com, but a study found that primates will "self-medicate" with herbs for their ailments. The Discovery Channel show, "Man vs. Wild" is very informative about herbal remedies as well...he puts himself into survival situations in the wild, and his knowledge about the use of various herbs is extensive. During one episode, he fell ill with a digestive bacteria of some sort, and found the sap of a particular tree that helps with nausea and stomach cramping. It's true that the earth gives us everything we need, we just have to know where to look for it.


Steven Udelle
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
Steven Udelle  
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

Hey Uncle Russ, Aren't you also a Home Inspector or is that a different Bianchi?



Health 1
Novice User Novice User Joined On 3/2007
Health 1  
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

Wooow...well said, Mary. Thank you.

Blessings

Dr. Trudy



KathieJamisonCote
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 4/2007
KathieJamisonCote  
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

Hi mmc88121 - EXCELLENT POINT!


 
 
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

I find it funny how everyone always has to insult the article writer and focus on the negative than on the positive. I know from past experience that chinese herbs work. I have worked in a pharmacy and have seenpeople get more and more sick and more health problems since theyve been on drugs. The drugs may help a particular symptom but cause something else to go wrong in your body. They are CHEMICALS we are putting in our body. Our bodies were not made to tolerate chemicals. God gave us nutrition and herbs to cleanse our bodies.. why dont we use them?


 
Huggles
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 11/2007
Huggles  
 
 
 
Posted On Oct 18, 2007
I have used licorice root for help with my adrenal gland functioning. It made a tremendous difference in my ability to function.

 
Arizona
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 6/2007
Arizona  
Replied

INKY DINKY
Novice User Novice User Joined On 10/2007
INKY DINKY  
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

Please remember to be very careful when using this herb - especially if you have high blood pressure.


 
 
 
Posted On Nov 06, 2007

I have suffered with endometriosis for 12 years now, and in the past few years have finally found relief and healing using herbs, diet changes, and vitamins (taken mostly through whole foods), and exercise.

It wasn't until I looked past symptom control, and began to study and understand the causes of the condition that I found relief.  I had been on BC, sleeping pills during my period, and 800 mg of IBprofen 3x a day for almost two weeks out of every month.

I now have two daughters, and a third girl on the way!  To think that I was told I may never have children--I believe I wouldn't have if I have listened to my doctors who gave me 3 options:  birth control, hysterectomy, or depro-provera.  I was told that these were my ONLY options to find health.  I now know better, thanks to Dr. Mercola and my all time favorite book:

Endometriosis:  A key to healing and fertility through nutrition, by Dian Mills

No doctor EVER asked what I was eating, or checked for vitamin deficiencies.  Through good oils, whole foods to correct vitamin needs, and herbs (mostly red raspberry leaf),  I have totally eliminated my need for Ibprofen.  I will NEVER take BC again.

For the first time I am excited to look forward to my future.  I feel like I am finally gaining control over something that has controlled me my whole life.  AND BEST OF ALL, I am carefully preparing my daughters for womanhood by eliminating certain environmental factors, and increasing good foods and oils that will help them avoid, or to be prepared to battle, this disease.

You can never go wrong with nutrition.  The healing power of foods is awesome.  I will never see food the same again--it is what gives me life, health, and sustains me.  When you harness this power, you can see miracles in your life.  I truly believe it!  


 
Miss Meliss
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 8/2007
Miss Meliss  
Replied

Bettyboop100
Novice User Novice User Joined On 4/2009
Bettyboop100  
 
Posted On Apr 09, 2009

Miss Meliss, i am a long time sufferer of menstrual pain, is there any way you can share your secrets? I am dying from the pain over here. My Doc says is need a Laparoscopy to determine the cause of my pain. I have been gettiing this pain during my period all my life. Help!!!!


 
 
 
Posted On Oct 19, 2007
What  you think they gonna do with this study... Yeah chuck it under the rug and pretend it never existed, like so many other studies. IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT right, because the money is simple not there in mere herbs.......For now, they got the power BUT PRETTY SOON they won't be saying this .....

 
seg
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 11/2006
seg  
 
 
 
 
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