HERB - Menstrual Cramps -- the disertation

[Katherine Blackthorne]

> > What about something for cramps for my 11 year old daughter?
> 
> Corwyn responded:
> My turn to ask a silly question... where are they and what's causing
them. If
> it part of her cycle, then Ground Ivy (ale hoof, gill-go-round
etc.etc.etc.),
> catnip, ginger (both drinking and as a compress) and our old friend
peppermint
> are good candidates. Evening Primrose Oil is the popular cure of the day,
and
> is a good toner type herb too.
> 
I discovered a few years ago that the medical community has actually known
the cause of menstrual problems since the seventies, even though my doctors
have been woefully ignorant.  So I spent several weeks in the Med-School
library digging through the research.  (I had some friends in Med-school at
the time, and they were taught nothing about this subject -- even in their
GYN classes.)  My research is at home, so I'm going a bit off the top of my
head here.  Any details I'm unclear on, I'll double check later.

Both PMS and menstrual cramps -- which are two different problems -- are
caused by prostaglandin imbalances.  PMS is caused by a deficiency of
Prostaglandin E6, which is found in bio-available abundance in Evening
Primrose Oil.  If your daughter experiences mood swings, bloating,
cravings, etc. this should work well for her.

If, like me, she experiences debilitating cramps that begin with her period
and ease up after a few days, this is not PMS and Evening Primrose Oil
won't help.  The problem here is an excess of Prostaglandin F2a -- This is
the same prostaglandin used to induce labor and for induced-labor
abortions.  It is carried in the menstrual blood, which is why heavier days
hurt more.  The pain is that of the uterine muscles constricting so hard
they cut off their own blood-supply.  (In other words, very similar to the
pain of a heart-attack, except the uterus is slightly larger.)  When small
quantities of the prostaglandin escape the uterus & hit the bloodstream,
they cause the "secondary symptoms" -- the nausea, vomiting, hot/cold
flashes, and dizziness by creating contractions in the smooth muscles of
the circulatory & digestive systems.  These things are not in her head! 
(When I was her age, I had people telling me they were.  Please, for my
sake, make sure she knows better.)

For herbal treatments:
I have gotten good results with a couple OTC preparations, specifically one
from "Traditional medicinals" called Women's somethingorother, (Not "Female
Toner") which contained ginger & Dong Quai.  Sadly, this particular formula
has become hard to find.  I have also used a tincture (brown bottle, gray
label with a big "Z" on it -- I'll have to look in my cupboard to find the
brand.) that contains red raspberry, Dong Quai, & ginger.  One of the
Cohoshes is supposed to be effective also, although theses should be used
with caution & I haven't tried them myself.  (Again, I've more information
at home.)
Also, when she's having cramps, get her to straighten out & lie flat on her
stomach.  Kneel down next to her, looking across her waist.  Put the heel
of your hand on the small of her back, just above the pelvic bone next to
the spine.  Massage with a down & out rocking-motion (sliding your hand
from next to her hand to the edge of her hip in a straight line).   Do this
a few times on both sides -- it should help somewhat.  
At night and at school, give her a heating pad.
On a less organic level, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)
(aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxene, Actron, etc.)  inhibit prostaglandin
production.  This is why Tylenol doesn't help her at all, while aspirin
gives a little relief and Advil gives more.  There are several families of
NSAIDS, so if a drug from one family doesn't work, one from another may. 
Ibuprofen & naproxene are in the same family, but many people find
naproxene works better for them.  Naproxene sodium -- the stuff in Aleve --
is chemically identical to Naproxene EXCEPT that it is in smaller chemical
"chunks", so it reaches full concentration in your bloodstream in 20
minutes...instead of 2 hours with aspirin, ibuprofen, or regular naproxene.
The drug in Actron -- the one that starts with a "k"...I can never remember
the name --is from a different family but shows similar results to
naproxene sodium (I haven't read the studies on this drug, just the
abstracts of them.  The physical studies weren't available when I was doing
my research.)
There is one other group of drugs, but I can't remember right now -- I'd
have to check my notes.  

I realize much of this post was very "non-herbal", and I apologize if I
have offended anyone, but I feel that this information is important to many
women...and I have learned just how much it is shrugged off by the medical
community at large.  Although the research is being done (mostly in Sweden,
as I recall), the nurses & physicians we deal with on a daily basis were
never given any instruction in it and, for the most part, have never
educated themselves.  
--Katherine (stepping down off her soap box...)

Katherine Blackthorne
Province of Golden Rivers
Principality of Cynagua
Kingdom of the West

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