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Wondering if Dr. Jones and anyone can offer some ideas on medicinal herbs that can help my wife’s EXTREME, debilitating monthly menstrual pain. A little background. She lost one fallopian tube during an ectopic pregnancy 15 years. My wife and I were blessed by God to have 2 children after this. She it TOUGH and can take a lot of pain, but she will go into shock without taking 3 Advil around 3-4 times a day for about 3-days every month.
We’ve tried Cramp Bark and it did not help at all for her. Tried some Willow Bark to help before the pain kicked in too much, but that didn’t help. The pain becomes intense and throbbing and just makes doing much other than lying down for 3-4 days a every month not an option for her.
We are looking at Magnesium as one way of helping — and any insights on the BEST form of Magnesium for this condition would be helpful. Magnesium aside, are there any herbal combinations to help her to eliminate the large amounts of Advil, or even reduce the need for it at the beginning and end of the normal pain.
Doc Jones, would you follow every month with some of the herbs to help “cleanse” the liver post Advil?…But really hopeful to remove these completely. Appreciate the insights here.
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My heart goes out to your wife, that’s a huge burden of pain to experience regularly. Has a doctor given input on the cause? In my (limited) understanding, menstrual cramping can change after childbirth as the uterus doesn’t need to practice contracting. I would try nervines, like hops, in case this is not solely muscle-based, anything to drop that Advil count down! And I would consider a long game, hormonal approach with a uterine tonic like dong quai. Best to you both as you work to figure this out.
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Hi Dee.
Thank you for taking time to reply. We have used Dong Quai but more so at the end (as is typical in Chinese medicine — my wife’s family is Chinese). Becoming more interested in hops…Also, very interested to see what Doc Jones recommended — fennel. The more I started looking at fennel, at least for some, it was very effective. Just hoping it will be with her. She really believes, as she never had issues prior to the ectopic pregnancy, that when the egg tries to go to the one tube that exploded, it can’t and this triggers the pain. Whatever it is, it’s just completely unbearable to date without drugging up. And she hates that.
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Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate are the good ones. The protocol is in the Female Reproductive System lesson. Slides 21-23 or so. There are some formulas there too.
https://homesteadacademy.com/course/homegrown-herbalist/lessons/female-reproductive-system/
You might try some fennel too. Sometimes when other things don’t work, fennel does.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Doc,
How much fennel would you recommend in this kind of extreme situation? Am I understanding correctly that it’s fennel’s effect on the prostaglandin levels that could be what helps?
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I’d add the fennel to whatever you decide to do with other herbs/formulas. Couple of rounded teaspoons of the powder or a teaspoon of tincture.
Have a look at the Cramp Bark Plus formula too.
https://homesteadacademy.com/course/homegrown-herbalist/lessons/female-formulas/
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Hi Dr. Jones,
I posted this a few weeks ago on this strand but wanted to get your opinion on it so I’m replying to your earlier response.
A neighbor of ours suggested the use of Rat’s Vein (Chimaphila maculata or Chimaphila umbellara) for my daughter’s severe menstual cramps. Her gynecologist told her that her cramps were due to menstrual clotting. The properties of Rat’s Vein, as far as we could determine, is a blood thinner. She has tried it a few times during her cycle and it gave her tremendous relief from cramping. Have you had any experience with this herb? Is Rat’s Vein safe to use long term? It is wide spread over the Appalachian mountains and is easy to obtain.
Update: my daughter had excruciating menstrual pain today in her abdomen, legs, and back. She started to panic until she climbed under a heating blanket and got some minimal relief from the heat. We didn’t have anything on hand so my husband ran out in the woods and grabbed some rats vein. Her pain level went from a 10 to a 6 within five minutes. He made the tea a little weak this time (he was in a hurry and struggled to find the plant). She had been keeping a little stock on hand but got forgetful and let herself run out. She is still very uncomfortable right now but can tolerate it so long as she is laying down with heat.
My daughter has also found heightened stress levels increases her menstrual pain. Throughout high school and college she had a very rough time coping with it. After that she made a determination to rest as much as possible during menstruation. This certainly detracts from her quality of life at times. She has a strong work ethic when she has a public job and feels embarrassed to tell her employer that sometimes she can’t perform at 100%. So she always pushed through with the help of Ibuprofen. She is currently unemployed and tries to rest but since our discovery of Rat’s Vein she is pushing her body to see what it can do. So far so good.
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A neighbor of ours suggested the use of Rat’s Vein (Chimaphila maculata or Chimaphila umbellara) for my daughter’s severe mentual cramps. Her gynecologist told her that her cramps were due to menstrual clotting. The properties of Rat’s Vein, as far as we could determine, is a blood thinner. She has tried it a few times during her cycle and it gave her tremendous relief from cramping. Have you, Dr. Jones or anyone had any experience with this herb? Is Rat’s Vein safe to use long term? It is wide spread over the Appalachian mountains and is easy to obtain.
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I know it as Pipsissewa and yes its methyl salicylate is a pain reliever. I’ve mostly read about it in association with the urinary system. Cool to hear that it helped your daughter! And great to hear you have it wide spread, a bit north here I spot it in small patches, but haven’t taken any as it’s easily disrupted and I’d love it to spread around.
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I’m not familiar with the Chimaphila maculata. It does have analgesic properties and anti-inflammatory properties but I’ve never used it.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Thanks to everyone for giving a crack at this. Unfortunately, neither magnesium glycinate or fennel helped much either.
One question for you Doc: If taking higher doses of Advil and Tylenol for 3-4 days (I’m talking 3 Advil at a time for up to 12 in a day), would it be wise to detox the liver and kidneys with some herbs WHILE taking the Advil or would that dampen the effectiveness of it? She rarely takes Advil outside of this monthly time, but this amount for the 3-4 days it the concern.
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Giving liver herbs and drugs together almost always decreases absorption and effectiveness of the drug.
Did you try herbs besides cramp bark and fennel? How long did she take the magnesium?
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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She could try taking Blessed Thistle all month long. It helps balance hormones. So it helps with PMS, cramps, bloating, etc…
I take it a few days before for slight PMS related depression and minor cramps, but taken all month helps with more severe issues
I would also try other hormone balancing herbs like red clover or black cohosh.
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