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Don’t Reach for the Painkillers! Try These 3 Herbal Remedies Instead!

We all know that Endometriosis brings with it some intense pain. We also know that we can overcome a large amount of this pain by changing our diet and our lifestyle, reducing stress and essentially following the natural path of healing. Cool! What do we do in the meantime though?

I discovered that there are certain herbs that are specifically beneficial for Endometriosis and provide fairly instant pain relief for us.

 

Cramp bark

Ask any Chinese doctor what Endometriosis is and they will describe it as “blood stagnation.” What this means is that we essentially have blood “stuck” in the body that needs to come out. What cramp bark does is increase the blood flow to the abdominal area and this in turn relaxes the uterus and helps clear this stagnation. It also reduces overactive uterine muscles caused by over-production of prostaglandins. If you have read any of my previous articles, you might remember that the prostaglandin II’s are the ones which create inflammation and clotting in the body. Cramp bark reduces this reaction by our prostaglandins and minimizes the associated pain and inflammation.

Cramp bark also reduces nervous tension, which will impact on mood swings, irritability and anxiety.

Since it is an emmenagogus, it helps to reduce tension of the nervous system that causes symptoms of endometriosis such as mood swings, irritation, anxiety, and depression. Buy through this link.

Black haw

One of the things that causes Endometriosis to be more painful is the constant contracting of the uterine muscles. I personally believe this is the body trying to get the stagnant blood out and it uses the same mechanisms it would use in labor to attempt to do this. Unfortunately, it brings on large amounts of pain. What black haw does is provide a sedative tonic, which is similar to aspirin (without the negative side effects) and relax this contractive mechanism within our bodies.

It also contains scopoletin, which helps our immune system and fights off bacteria and viruses. As Endometriosis is often linked to poor immune function and fungal conditions in the bowels, this would be a great added benefit.

Black haw also helps with the liver and increases bile production. This is why it is often also used for morning sickness and nausea. Buy through this link.

Valerian

This is more of a relaxant than anything else but its benefits are worth mentioning. One of the key things that happens when you experience Endometriosis pain is a sense of panic within our minds. I know I certainly do this—a little bit of extra pain and it gets my mind racing. Valerian allows us to calm down and relax a little and let the pain simply subside. We don’t need the extra anxiety often connected with our overactive minds!

Valerian is great to help you sleep better and simply ease your worries.

It also has added benefits for the liver and if you use it as an essential oil, it can instantly relax the abdominal area. Simply rub it in and it will relax that endless cramping sensation. Buy through this link.

Using painkillers to overcome Endometriosis is counter-intuitive. Every painkiller needs to be broken down by the liver. The more we overwhelm our liver, the more our hormone imbalances will continue. Try to reduce the amount of drugs and painkillers you take and replace them with these fantastic natural alternatives.

These are easy herbs, which you can keep in your handbag and take at the slightest indication of pain. When you get home, you can then prepare a castor oil pack or run a bath and feel even better.

What other herbs do you know that can provide pain relief for women with Endometriosis? Have you tried any of these? Feel free to share…

Hugs, Melissa x
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This Post Has 17 Comments

  1. Cristina

    I am new to cramp bark so can anyone tell me a) do you take only during period or also as a prevent? b)how much should I take daily? c) is there a amount over which cramp bark is poisonous for our body? Thanks a mil and sorry for the long thread of questions!!

  2. Geraldine

    I will get some cramp bark A.S.A.P. I’ve been using nutmeg powder, even though I know the toxicity level is quite low. I never go over 1 tsp. per day. it works within 20 minutes. So, I make a cup of tea with 1/8 tsp, that way I know I can have 8 cups per day if need be.

    I also know that a table spoon of molasses would help immediately as well, but I haven’t been able to do that for many years because of the sugar content. Do you have any idea as to why the molasses would work so well?

  3. Melissa

    Hi Marina,
    I have added some links to the article for you. You can get them all through iherb and they deliver internationally.

  4. Marina

    Melissa, I do not find in my country, Romania, cramp bark, can you advice me on what products should I choose from Amazon? Thanks

  5. Melissa

    Yes, that sounds about right 🙂
    The parasitic connection seems to be a big one. The pill and pain-killers and anti-biotics can throw these out. It can also be passed on from our Mother’s. My mom certainly had poor liver function all her life.
    It is fascinating and a wonderful journey of discovery for sure 🙂 Lets keep searching!

  6. Lindsay Wilson

    Thanks so much for your response! Ok, so ~ an excess toxic load due to endometriosis causes an auto-immune response in the body which triggers over production of prostaglandins. I know that this is way simplified…but I’m just making sure that I’m getting this right (or what you have sensed to be true)…

    The origin of the original toxic load that creates the environment for endo? Leaky Gut??? A parasitic infection? A yeast overgrowth? Is this the beginning point due to improper diet, exposure to environmental pollutants, and/or an intestinal infection that spread to the other organs in the lower abdominal cavity?

    This is really fascinating to me as it begins to link a lot of pieces…

  7. Melissa

    Thank you Lindsay 🙂
    I think prostaglandins are often confused. They are designed to produce inflammation and heal but I think for many of us with ENdo because of excess toxin load we develop an auto-immune response within the body. I have found consuming heaps of Krill oil really helps to reduce the prostaglandins from over reaction.
    Yes, stress and trauma are a big part of that too – they add to inflammation but also throw out natural hormonal balance.
    Lovely to have a herbalist on the site too 🙂

    Thank you for commenting!

  8. Lindsay Wilson

    This is a wonderful write-up on these lovely plant allies. I am intrigued with your statement that says that most endometreosis issues are linked to lowered immune response and fungal infections of the intestines. This rings a bell for me. Ever since 1996 I have been dealing with occasional periods that are extremely painful, to the point of vomiting at points. Sometimes I just gag myself because the nausea is so overwhelming and I know that throwing up will relieve the intense discomfort. The pain is still there, but at least not the nausea.

    I have slowly been piecing together the source of my discomfort. For the first time, your words speak to my pain that I feel three or four times a year. When you wrote about “labor pains,” I knew that you could understand where I am coming from. And, black haw would indeed be a good ally for that. For some reason, I never thought of that! I am an herbalist and use that in an after-birth formula…but haven’t thought of that for myself. And, the fact that it does act on the liver and immune function ~ yes, a great herbal ally.

    In terms of prostaglandin production. What is the normal cause of overproduction? Persistent stress and/or trauma would be my assumption… I’m just wondering what themes you’ve noticed during your work and exploration of this topic.

    I look forward to hearing from you ~ be well, Lindsay

  9. lucy

    i find valerian very helpful. i take it before bed and it really helps with those ‘awake at 3 in the morning in agony’ situations! usually it helps me sleep through and more sleep helps with coping during the day. apparently valerian is also an anti-inflammatory so it helps the endo too… i use a preparation with cramp bark in but haven’t used black haw before so must look that up..

  10. Melissa

    Awesome! Thanks for sharing Wendy 🙂

  11. Christina G

    Great info (as usual)! I hadn’t known about Black Haw before, but I’m going to check it out! Thanks, Mel!

  12. Wendy

    I have been using cramp bark for a year now and I find it very helpful. I rarely need an anti inflammatory .

  13. Heleen

    I haven’t used any painkillers in a long time and I’m very proud of it! For me it helps to support my intestines a little bit more when my period is coming up, because they still seem a bit off when I have my period (cramps and bloating). It’s not really a natural painkiller, but psyllium fibers support my intestines and I always feel it helps during my period.

  14. Kelly

    Great suggestions. Thank you for what you do!!

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I'm Melissa

Sick of dealing with endometriosis and ready to move forward?

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