Intro
If you are a woman, you know your menstrual cycle can come with uncomfortable and unwanted symptoms such as mood swings, an upset stomach, or painful cramps. For centuries, women worldwide have been dealing with negative side effects from painful periods. Maybe this menstrual pain has even interfered with important events in your life and ruined the day.
It’s no surprise that you may be looking for a natural product or home remedies to ease the pain of your menstruation cycle or even stop it altogether. The good news is there are a ton of home remedies such as a heating pad, over-the-counter medications, and even warm teas. But, certain teas produce the best results.
Some of the best teas for menstrual pain are ginger tea, chamomile tea, and raspberry leaf tea. These have been proven with scientific evidence to reduce symptoms of PMS and even help with heavy periods due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
Let’s get started
In this article, we will talk about whether or not tea can stop your period, the best and worst teas to drink while on your period, and other drinks to avoid during your menstrual period.
Can Tea Stop Your Period?
Unfortunately, there are no proven natural methods to “stop” our periods. Some women opt for the birth control shot, which can result in hormonal changes that could lead to irregular periods and even missed cycles or the stop of blood flow.
What is PMS?
According to the Office on Women’s Health, PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, are physical and emotional symptoms that women can experience leading up to their time of the month due to changes in hormone levels. Symptoms can include muscle cramps, breast tenderness, bloating, lack of sleep, water retention, mood swings, and irritability.
In addition to PMS, other conditions can cause unwanted cramping such as secondary dysmenorrhoea, ovarian cysts, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Best Teas To Drink While On Your Period
When it comes to natural remedies, some women claim that certain herbal teas can slow down the menstrual flow and provide pain relief. Let’s take a deeper look at how a hot cup of tea can take away that period of pain.
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is one of the best things for menstrual cramps because of its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties like gingerols and shogaols. It was as effective as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), similar to pain medications you would find at the drug store. Next time you are experiencing menstrual cramping, reach for this powerful drink!
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is made from chamomile flowers that have been dried and steeped in hot water. This type of tea has been shown to have a ton of health benefits, including preventing several diseases and improving sleep, reducing blood sugar, and increasing heart health. A small study published in the Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Infertility had women drink two cups of chamomile a day for one week leading up to menstruation and noticed less or no period cramps.
Cinnamon Tea
Cinnamon tea is a lesser-known healing property that has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties that help aid in digestion, improve blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, and reduce menstrual pain in the body.
You can make cinnamon tea by simply adding 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to a cup of warm water, adding a whole cinnamon stick to a simmering pot of water, or purchasing cinnamon tea bags and steeping as you would a regular tea.
Green Tea
Green tea consumption has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years. The Green tea is a powerhouse of health when it comes to beneficial tannins, catechins, and flavonoids. Because of these healthy chemical compounds, green tea has also been shown to alleviate abdominal pain caused by menstrual cramps.
The tea works to reduce period pain by decreasing inflammation which leads to muscle spasms. It may also help to treat uterine fibroids, which are growths in the uterus that cause painful symptoms.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
This is one of the best teas when it comes to period pain. Raspberry leaf tea is the only tea that’s sole benefit is to help women have better periods. With this being the main goal of this drink, you have to guess that it has some pretty strong powers when it comes to cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. It even has properties that help balance hormones, which ultimately lessens the symptoms of PMS.
Raspberry leaf tea is made with leaves from a raspberry plant, which contains beneficial tannins and fragarine.
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint tea has so many benefits, you might as well keep this in your pantry for good measure! On top of calming uterine muscles that can cause cramping, peppermint tea has been used for years to ease digestive issues, relieve tension headaches and migraines, fight bacterial infections, and even help to relieve clogged sinuses.
Fennel Tea
This type of tea has anti-carminative and antispasmodic effects, which means it can reduce gas in the body and muscle spasms. These properties combined make fennel tea a great agent for reducing bloating, cramps, and other digestive issues that women may experience during their period. Because of its effectiveness in aiding digestion, it is also a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Worst Teas To Drink While On Your Period
Now that we have covered the best teas to drink to aid with menstrual bleeding and the unwanted symptoms or severe pain that come with it, let’s get into the teas that you should avoid when on your period.
Black Tea
Black tea is not on the list of teas to drink while on your period because of the caffeine levels. High caffeine intake is not healthy during this time of the month because it is an anxiety-inducing substance. Caffeinated beverages can cause the uterus to contract more causing cramps to worsen.
Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea can either help or hurt your period. Some women have reported great success when drinking this type of tea because it regulates your period by affecting your estrogen levels. While this works for some, it can interfere with women who are taking birth control pills, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding.
Other Drinks To Avoid While On Your Period
In addition to the small list of teas that can have negative effects on your period, here are the other drinks to avoid during your menstrual cycle. Take a look at the list below:
- Coffee
- Energy Drinks
- Carbonated Beverages
- Alcohol
- Dairy
Summary
Although it is a natural part of life, a woman’s menstrual cycle can be burdensome and come with painful symptoms during and before this time of the month. PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, are physical and emotional symptoms that women can experience in the week leading up to their period beginning. Some of these symptoms can include muscle cramps, bloating, and lack of sleep.
There are even components that can make period symptoms worse. Drinks that contain high levels of caffeine such as a cup of coffee, black tea, or energy drinks can cause your muscles to contract which makes period cramps worse. It is also advised to avoid alcohol and dairy during this time.
With those menstrual symptoms in mind, you may be looking for a way to ease or rid yourself of a period completely. Unfortunately, there are no natural remedies to get rid of your period, but there are some natural ways to lessen the pain and other negative side effects. Just like with many other ailments, teas have been used for centuries for their healing properties.
Some of the best teas to drink while on your period are ginger tea, chamomile tea, cinnamon tea, and raspberry leaf tea. These teas contain beneficial chemical compounds that produce anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal powers along with tannins, gingerols, and antioxidants that can relieve pain, help with digestion, reduce muscle spasms that lead to cramps, and improve sleep quality which can lead to a boosted mood.
Drinking these teas at least once per day has been linked to easier menstrual cycles for many women. We hope you found this article helpful and enjoyed reading “Can Tea Stop Your Period?” Stay tuned for more articles from our tea experts!
Sources:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome
https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/a38604737/tea-for-menstrual-cramps/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286965003_Chamomile_tea_for_relief_of_primary_dysmenorrhea
https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/best-tea-for-menstrual-cramps
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