NATURAL WAYS TO HELP YOU HAVE A HAPPY PERIOD
Ladies, it’s common to feel uncomfortable when you are on your period. Here are a few options to help manage pain and discomfort
Let’s face it! PMS can be hard to deal with. Many women suffer from PMS, short for premenstrual syndrome, a week or 10 days before they start menstruating. The tendency of many women to get moody in the days before their period starts is well known but there are many other symptoms that range from an increase in weight (water retention), problems related to digestion, sleep trouble, anger and anxiety.
Thankfully there are a variety of products available in the market now that help relieve such symptoms and help brighten your mood when you are PMSing. Many new start-ups have also come up with subscription boxes that specifically cater to the needs of women during PMSing.
PMS TEAS
Did you know that there are teas that not only have a calming effect on you during your periods but also reduce pain, bloating and other possible discomforts! The Tea Trove’s PMS Tea (₹557/100 gms), a cardamom flavoured natural medicinal tea takes care of unambiguous bleeding. “It helps in an easy passage through a menopausal phase, balances hormones and eases irritability, tension, and discomfort,” says Shruti Kanoi, founder of Tea Trove, who says that the tea is an Ayurvedic solution with no side-effects and visible results to this persistent problem.
The teas are an Ayurvedic blend of herbs like shatavari, anantmool, lodhra, ela, and jatiphal that are traditionally known to help relieve some of the symptoms of PMS.
Prepare it by pouring 150ml of freshly boiled water over one teaspoon of PMS Tea in a cup, steeping for 3-5 minutes. To get the best benefit of the tea, take it twice daily, five days before and during your period.
“It works by reducing symptoms such as painful cramps and excessive flow. It also regularises the cycle and provides a smooth transition from painful PMSing to a smooth movement of the bodily cycle,” says Kanoi.
Similarly, Mittal Teas has a wide variety of teas (priced at ₹90-580 per 100 gms) that helps soothe women in pain during periods. Take your pick from chamomile, peppermint, cinnamon, red raspberry, fennel and ginger tea. “Pour
TEAS WITH AN AYURVEDIC BLEND CONSISTING OF SHATAVARI, ANANTMOOL, ELA, AND JATIPHAL TEND TO HELP RELIEVE A FEW SYMPTOMS OF PMS
hot water over the herbs, let it brew for 4-5 minutes and drink it hot,” says Vikram Mittal of the brand.
SUBSCRIPTION BOXES
A very recent trend that has come up is PMS subscription boxes. Many young entrepreneurs have started websites that have a range of boxes to take care of your needs during those days. Deep Bajaj of Being Juliet, a Delhibased website, says that he always wanted to do something for menstrual hygiene, which led him to start the portal.
“We have a PMS box (priced ₹900 for three months) in which we send sanitary pads as per the clients choice around five days before their cycle. We also send freebies like pain comforters to pamper them,” adds Bajaj. These pain comforters include ajwain (to be boiled in water), fennel, teas, and pain-relieving balms, diffusers, potpourri and candies, which are known to calm the senses.
Another entrepreneur, Alwar-based Manshu Ahuja, came up with the idea of a subscription box (starting at ₹399 per month) that includes PMS energy balls with blends of seeds and spices, after he saw his mother and sister, in pain. “I used to study and make these at home for them,” he says. His website, Queen Bee, has herbs such as chamomile to calm anxiety and muscle spasm, dandelion to curb bloating and ashwagandha to reduce pain. He says, “The seeds (used in making energy balls) include pumpkin, chia, sunflower and flax seeds. They are made with almond butter, dates or honey and have about 80 calories.”