Natural Remedies For PMS Pain And CrampsUsually, PMS-related pain (premenstrual syndrome) is due to the uterus cramping. Sometimes other pelvic muscles can be involved, and sometimes the intestines can get triggered too.

There are a number of effective remedies you can use, so have a read and see which of these “twigs” your intuition. For severe cramping and spasming, you may even need to combine 2 or 3 of these.

Effective herbal muscle relaxants for smooth muscle tissue include Crampbark or Black Haw (stronger than crampbark). I find these easiest to use in tincture form. Just add 1-2 ml to some herbal tea (or a few ounces of water), sweeten with honey or stevia if desired, and drink on an empty stomach, up to 4x/day (as needed).

A handy tip to remember is that nearly all herbal extracts or tinctures are more powerful when taken on an empty stomach – 20 minutes before food, or, 2 hours after food. I find taking herbal muscle relaxants to be more effective than just taking a painkiller. You can often find these herbs in a PMS blend, along with other beneficial herbs.

And since we’re talking about muscle relaxants, check and make sure you’re getting enough magnesium and potassium every day – as these important minerals are powerful muscle relaxants too. You can take these in either traditional powdered form, or, my favorite: nanoparticle-sized form.

But if you also want or need a natural painkiller, you can take White Willow Bark.

If the pain and cramping is very severe, a hot castor oil pack on your abdomen is also very effective. Cold-pressed castor oil sinks transdermally (through the skin) to relax smooth muscle. This simple mechanical action has a beneficial influence on all hollow organs, specifically the blood and lymph vessels, the uterus, fallopian tubes, bowels, gall bladder, and even the liver (which is not hollow but is filled with venous lakes).

A castor oil pack is placed on the skin to increase circulation and to promote elimination and healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. It is often used to stimulate the liver, relieve pain, increase lymphatic circulation, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion. Just remember to use cold-pressed castor oil and 100% cotton flannel (or wool) – no synthetics. You can use either a hot water bottle or a heating pad as the heat source. Here are the detailed instructions.

The other thing that is often responsible for period pain, cramping, and headaches is a hormonal imbalance. An easy remedy for this is to put a dime-sized amount of Emerita Natural Progesterone cream on the soles of your feet and rub it in (once per day in the morning). If your PMS is hormonally-based, that can often greatly relieve, or eliminate the problem entirely. Then, after a few months of this, the estrogen-dominance is often balanced and you don’t need to continue.

If your thyroid is low, or you have symptoms of thyroid imbalance, then another good remedy to balance your endocrine system wholistically is Thyroplex – developed by Jonathan V. Wright, MD.

For even more information, you can read my entire home remedy page for PMS here.