How Can Aromatherapy Help with PMS
Aromatherapy uses a variety of essential oils to help balance a woman’s hormones and alleviate the symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Plants and their healing properties captured in their essentials oils can add support to the process of menstruation.
| Essentials oils for PMS: Bergamot, Lemon, Grapefruit, German and Roman chamomile, Clary sage, Sweet fennel, Geranium, Ginger, Juniper berry, Lavender, Melissa, Petitgrain, Sweet marjoram, Neroli, Rose, Rosemary, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine |
Japanese researchers have determined that Lavender essential oil can alleviate premenstrual emotional mood changes, confirming other research showing that Lavender produces overall calming effects.
Aromatherapy massage To address various PMS symptoms, aromatherapy oils can be massaged on the temples to relieve headache, on the breast to reduce breast pain and soreness, on the stomach to reduce bloating and cramps, on the back to reduce backaches and on the face to relieve acne.
How to Use Essential Oils for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Aromatherapy bath Use 5-7 drops of essential oils mixed with full-fat milk in a bath. Inhale the steam off the water and at the same time receive the benefits of the oils through pores opened by warmth. A warm bath will also sooth the cramping as well as joint and muscle pain associated with PMS.
Bloating remedy essential oils – Sweet fennel, Ginger, Sweet marjoram, Bergamot, Chamomile.
Depression remedy essential oils – any essential oils that posses anti-depressant therapeutic properties – Rose, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Petitgrain, Neroli, Jasmine, Geranium, Lavender, Clary sage, Grapefruit, and Chamomile among others.
Cramps remedy essential oils – Lavender, Clary sage, Chamomile, Geranium, Sweet marjoram.
Fluid retention remedy essential oils – Sweet fennel, Juniper berry, Grapefruit, Lemon, Geranium, Rosemary.
Direction for use: mix 1-3 drops of essential oils with 1tsp of carrier oil and use in topical massage of shoulder, abdomen, lower back, legs, and feet.
Oil burner
Moontime – Sacred time for Women
During those unique days – observe, listen and feel the energies. Honour the sacred feminine ‘moontime’ cycle. Consider it as a special time for rest, purification and rejuvenation. Unfold beautifully through it and acknowledge how to embrace your divinely given energies. Find balance and re-centre your state of being.
Once upon a time, menstruation was viewed as a sacred and spiritual event to be celebrated. I believe every woman should honor her moon time once again as women did in the past.
“A long time ago, women did as they do now—they held the family, they held the power (life-force) for the family, they held the happiness and joy, they held the sorrow and disappointments. After time, the negative emotions and heartache that the women took upon themselves on behalf of their families would begin to weigh them down. The women would become sick and finally, could no longer take on the burdens of the family. Yet the nature to do so had been imbued into them by Creator.
One day, a woman was out in the forest, crying because the burden had become so great, when Raven
heard her and asked, “Mother, why do you cry?”
The woman responded, “I love my family so very much. I hold my family in my heart and soul, but the pains of life have filled me up. I can no longer help my family. I can no longer take their burdens from them. I just don’t know what to do.”
Raven responded, “I understand the pain you feel, as I feel it also. I will go and ask Grandmother Ocean if she knows what to do.” So Raven flew to the ocean and shared with Grandmother the plight of the women.
Grandmother Ocean responded, “If the women will come to me, I will wash their pain from them, but this won’t help the ones who are far away. Let me ask my sister, Grandmother Moon, if she can help.”
So Grandmother Ocean spoke to her sister of the women’s plight. Grandmother Moon responded, “I am the power of the feminine. I will send into the women, my sisters, your waters carrying my power. Once every moon cycle, you shall come into the women through me and purify them.” And, she did this. So ever since then, every woman has a time each moon cycle when she embodies the power of the moon and flows the cleansing of the ocean. We call this the woman’s time of the moon, or moon-time.”
~Nicholas Noble Wolf
Moon Time balm
Moontime balm incorporates a wonderful mix of the essential oils of Bergamot, True lavender, Clary sage, Fennel and Geranium. Together these essential oils create a hormone balancing, muscle relaxing and mood harmonising aromatherapy blend. It has a sweet-fruity, floral and herbaceous aroma. This blend is excellent for women to use before and during menstruation as it calms the mood and soothes the body. Using this blend is an excellent way to nurture oneself and prevent PMS symptoms: fluid retention, abdominal bloating, tender breasts, weight gain, constipation, insomnia, headaches and mood swings.
Ingredients: Bergamot* (Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia), True lavender* (Lavandula angustifolia), Geranium* (Pelargonium graveolens), Sweet fennel*(Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce), Clary sage* (Salvia sclarea), Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), Shea Butter*(Butyrospermum parkii), Beeswax*, Apricot kernel oil (Prunus armeniaca), Vitamin E
Direction for use:
- Topical massage of shoulders, where tension tends to build up
- Topical massage around the abdomen in circular, clockwise strokes
- Topical massage around the lower back
Caring caution:
For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Avoid if you are pregnant. Avoid exposure to the sun for at least 48 hours after application(Bergamot oil is phototoxic). Contraindicated for use by persons suffering from epilepsy. If any adverse reaction develops, stop use and contact your physician.
* organic ingredients
Nutrition
Eat regularly and sensibly – eat small rather then large meals.
Decrease or avoid refined sugar, salt, alcohol, caffeine, tabacco and red meat – women following a low-fat, vegetarian diet can expect significant reductions in menstrual pain and PMS symptoms.
Do enjoy high-quality calcium foods – Calcium helps to control mood swings, muscle cramps and swelling associated with PMS.
Vitamin B6 – It is believed that this vitamin reduces anxiety and depressive states, because it raises the level of serotonin in the brain.
Magnesium – research has shown that women with PMS have lower than normal levels of magnesium in the body. Magnesium and Vitamin B6 can decrease PMS symptoms in women.
Include whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables in your diet.
Chew on a few fennel seeds or sip a hot Fennel tea. Fennel seeds compose of health benefiting volatile essential oil compounds. Fennel is known to have antioxidant, digestive, carminative, and anti-flatulent properties.
Find ways to relax your mind, whether it’s exercising, deep breathing, or doing yoga. It really helps and that is based on my personal ‘research’ 🙂
Herbs
Evening primrose The oil from this plant is high in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is converted into prostaglandins, hormones necessary for many body functions. It may balance hormonal swings. It may be worth taking capsules of this in the second half of the period cycle, between 1,000 and 2,000mg
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) and Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) Both have diuretic and gentle relaxant properties and may ease emotional swings.
