Treating Menstrual Cramps with Herbs

I get menstrual cramps pretty much every month. Some months it's worse than others. And each time, I try to resist the urge to take painkillers like ibuprofin because I always get an upset stomach from them. I couldn't pull this off without herbs, however.

There are two ways that I use herbs to tret menstrual cramps. The first way is by using the plants to prevent cramping in the first place. I take stinging nettle and oatstraw throughout the month, which help a lot.

When I actually have the cramps, I use the following herbs to help bring me relief. I don't use them all at once - I'll just pick one or two and stick with that.

• Chamomile
• Ginger
• Basil
• Peppermint
• Cramp bark

I use a tea for all of them except the cramp bark. For that, I take a tincture. I never mix them - I just take one plant at a time because they don't seem to mix well together. The exception to this is with peppermint and chamomile.

That can help you get started. For more information, check out an article I wrote on ehow called How to Relieve Menstrual Cramps with Herbs.