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As a man, I am not personally privy to the joys and wonders of menstrual pain.
So ladies, while I do not personally feel the pain, I do feel your pain.
Which makes me very happy to write this piece about a natural herb that could help alleviate some of the symptoms of menstrual pain.
And no, I am not talking about that herb.
The herb I am talking about is peppermint.
Iranian researchers looked into the efficacy of a peppermint capsule compared to the prescription drug Mefenamic Acid and a placebo.
If you are looking to avoid prescription drugs, the results might encourage you.
The researchers, whose work was published in the July-August 2016 edition of the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, found positive results for both Mefenamic Acid and peppermint.
Here is what they found.
As it pertains to pain, both Mefenamic Acid and peppermint showed a significant reduction in the intensity of pain, but there was no significant difference between the two. Both appeared to be similarly effective.
While the duration of pain was reduced using both, Mefenamic Acid resulted in a greater decrease than peppermint. Mefenamic Acid also resulted in less bleeding while peppermint showed no significant difference in bleeding.
Where mint really outshined Mefenamic Acid was in the realm of nausea.
While there was no significant difference in nausea in the Mefenamic Acid group, the peppermint group showed a quite significant reduction. The same goes for vomiting. Peppermint achieved very significant reductions in both.
So while there was no change in bleeding, pain and other symptoms of discomfort all showed significant reductions in the peppermint group.
Given the relative lack of side effects (talk to your doctor to make sure it is safe for you), these are very promising results for a natural herb like mint that is easy to find not only in supplement form, but in teas as well.
The candies and desserts might not be so effective.
Here are a few peppermint tea options on the market. Some of many to choose from!
So be sure to talk to your doctor to make sure mint is safe for you and to determine how best to use it.
And as always, here’s to your health!
Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27563318/
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This is so interesting!! I suffer pretty bad with pain before and during my period and during ovulation. I often think about how painkillers i am putting into my body during this time and feel that I should be using other natural remedies beside heat (water bottles etc) so I am definitely going to remember this next time I go shopping – especially as I loveee tea – going to give peppermint a go!! Xxx
Excellent! I know of others who have used mint tea instead of painkillers and had some real success (and they were concerned about the painkillers the same way you are). Mint tea is delicious too! Hope it works out for you and thanks!!