The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Castor Oil Packs
Posted by Angie (Sparta, MO) on 08/21/2007
★★★★★
I have been taking the herb vitex for my pms and it has helped so much. I used to get severe pms. recently in the past couple of months the pms has acted up again. It has made me feel to so bad thats its been hard to think&function. I wondered what was going on. One night it dawned on me that my liver may be congested, so I got out a piece of flannel and soaked it in castor oil and applied it over my liver area with a heating pad. My pms improved greatly, so it hardly bothered me. Then yesterday it happened again, I did the same thing again with the castor oil pack and the pms has went away again. I hope this testimony will help someone else too going through the same problem.
Chasteberry
Posted by P.B. (Winnipeg, MB) on 07/29/2009
★★★★★
PMS - hormonal moodiness/depression
I just wanted to write about the success I've had with chasteberry (sometimes called chastetree berry or vitex) for PMS moodiness (read "madness"). I take, I believe it is 80 mg, 3x per day. I begin it as soon as I start to feel the moodiness coming on and continue as long as needed; it seems to be work right away. Apparently it helps to regulate hormone levels. However it works, it is amazing - it's given me an extra two weeks per month of normality.
It's a bit harder to find than some other supplements but you can sometimes find it as an ingredient in PMS or menopause supplements if you can't find it alone.
I've also found that apple cider vinegar is fantastic for bloating/water retention!
Chinese Herbs
Posted by Sam (Miami, FL) on 08/11/2014
★★★★★
Coconut Oil
Posted by Mary-Ellen (Melbourne, Australia) on 01/06/2006
★★★★★
started taking coconut oil as i had been reading all the literature on it so thought i would give it a go and can't believe the difference in my asthma... also energy levels as i am a woman of 50 and at times have low energy levels due to hormones so anyone who reads this i say give it a go or you will never know..!!!!!!!!!
Cranberry Powder Pills
Posted by Jayme (Vancouver, WA) on 09/05/2006
★★★★★
I've had the worst time with cramps since I began my cycle at age 12. A couple years ago, I discovered, accidentally, that cranberry powder pills do everything drugs do and more, without side affects. The instant I feel a small bit of cramping, I take two cranberry pills. I wait twenty minutes, take two more. I wait another twenty minutes and take another two. That's it. No more pain, no bloating, no headache, no PMS.
Dandelion Root
Posted by Kelly (Tacoma, Wa) on 10/09/2016
★★★★★
My mother has been using dandelion root capsules to control swelling in her legs, so last week I decided to test it for the bloating/severe water retention I get a few days before my period. I have been taking 2 or 3 capsules of dandelion root with my breakfast. Incredibly, not only did it cure the bloating within a day, but it also completely eliminated my horribly painful breasts (fibrocystic). The dandelion root also eliminated the sensation of sluggish/swollen lymph nodes in my armpits. All within the first 24 hours of taking it. I can't believe it!
Two "side effects" I've noticed on Dandelion root:
I feel myself getting dehydrated so I have doubled my water intake.
It makes me urinate frequently, so I will continue to take it in the morning so as not to disrupt my sleep. Dandelion is a powerful diuretic!!
I hope others will try this simple remedy. Dandelion root is very inexpensive.
Dong Quai Tea
Posted by Briona (Los Angeles, CA) on 02/27/2009
★★★★★
For a few decades, I had the most painful cramps and horrible PMS. A few months ago, I started drinking a large cup of Dong Quai tea every afternoon - except during my period, and since then, no more cramps, no more PMS. My husband loves it - and me too.
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Sue (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 03/11/2015
★★★★★
I have suffered greatly for over 30 years with pms cramping and severe pain and major mood issues. I just found evening primrose oil. I have been taking 2 to 3,1000mg vitamins per day for the past 3 weeks. I have had my period for 3 days now and have not had to take any pain killers at all. This stuff is truely a miracle cure. All the praise to God! Please try it if you suffer as I did. You won't regret it, it will change your life.
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Stacia (Port Orange, FL) on 04/12/2009
★★★★★
Evening Primrose Oil cured my PMS, cramps and my scaly-dry-itchy skin within a few days-weeks. My skin saw relief withing a few days. I started taking it for the first time a few weeks before my period and it was actually a shock when my period started because I had NO warning as usual. My PMS was bad enough that I knew to the hour when my period would start. Not anymore! That is the only downside, but I'll take it! :) I've used two brands..both 1300 and 1350 mg work. I take one a day religiously, but two a day if I think about it. The bottles say you can take 1-2 softgels a day. My skin is normally very oily, but sometimes I get combination skin where it gets very scaly, dry, itchy and UGLY! The evening primrose oil has COMPLETELY solved this issue. I was on birth control pills as a child of 14 for debilitating cramps and what a nightmare that was. I will never play around with my hormones again. I gained a lot of weight, got heart palpitations, grew excess hair everywhere...I don't recommend birth control pills to anyone. As a 31 year old and still dealing with terrible periods, this is a lifesaver! No more cramps, no more crazy PMS symptoms (and I had them all...sore breasts, moodiness, depression, lethargy..etc). Thank you Earthclinic! I tell everyone about this site, use it all the time and everything that I've tried here is fantastic!
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Karen (Atlanta, GA) on 02/17/2008
★★★★★
Evening Primrose cured my PMS! I suffered from severe PMS from age 25 until now (I'm 42). I would become depressed, anti-social, irritable, completely exhausted, bloated and basically miserable for 7 to 12 days per month! While I'm ususally a healthy eater, I would also binge on anything I could for several days before my period started. I read about Evening Primrose and had even tried it at some point, but I hadn't taken it at high enough doses. Now I'm taking 3000 mg per day about 10 days before my period and 1500 mg the rest of the month. I no longer have PMS. I am so happy and amazed! I didn't think that there would be anything to help me in this lifetime.
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Tessa (Kissimmee, USA) on 06/11/2007
★★★★★
I had killer menstrual cramps all my adult life. I am now 38 and was fed up with cramps that consumed my life for about 2 weeks each month. I would get cramps before my period and for about 5 to 6 days during. I dreaded the thought of getting my period. 1200 milligrams of prescription ibuprofen every 4 hours was not helping me anymore. My liver and stomach was overloaded from the drugs. I couldn't function at work or at home. I was high all the time from the ibuprofen. I would have to take days off from work just to get through my period. I came across an article about evening primrose oil and how it can dramatically ease cramps and pms. Well I decided to try it not really thinking it would work, after all I had tried every remedy I could find. Nothing helped. Because there is cancer in my family I would not take birth control pills to ease the cramps. I started taking evening primrose oil 2 weeks before my period. 1 with every meal. The day my period was supposed to start I upped it to 2 pills with every meal. Well my period came and I didn't even know it. NO cramps. I didn't get pms or painful breast either. I didn't even have to take ibuprofen. I am shocked!!! This is the first time in 26 years that I have no cramps. I don't know how it works, but for me it is a miracle worker. I wish I knew this years ago. I have lost so much time laying in bed or on the couch from cramps. I am so happy I found this remedy. It has changed my life.
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Jennifer (Paris, France) on 02/27/2007
★★★★★
Evening Primrose Oil has helped enormously with my PMS symptoms (irritability, moodiness). I was told to take one pill 3x/day with each meal, for ten days before my period was due to start. I usually only remember to take it in the morning, and it still works. A miracle.
Fenugreek
Posted by George (Houston, Texas) on 03/24/2007
★★★★★
My girlfriend suffers from bipolar mania and PMS, and I've tried hard to figure out why she can be the most perfect, wonderful, loving girlfriend for months, then turn into a mean, vicious, heartless, remorseless monster and kick me out of the house. Then she started taking an herb called fenugreek to increase milk production while breastfeeding. Within less than two weeks she transformed back into the wonderful, loving woman I fell in love with and it was better than ever! After doing more research I determined that the culprit was a neuropeptide hormone called oxytocin, the love hormone. It's responsible for milk production, bonding, trust, openness, reduction in stress/anxiety, and to some extent libido. It was a beautiful transformation! Apparently there was an intranasal form of oxytocin available previously, but now you have to get it custom made, but fenugreek seems to promote its production. I guess the key is to make sure that she takes it regularly while her oxytocin levels are high and she's still reasonable! Otherwise the bad version of her may refuse to take it!
Flax Seed Oil
Posted by P.b. (Cape Breton, Ns) on 02/16/2011
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
Just another comment on flaxseed oil for PMS! It worked wonders. 1000 mg/day, every day, and no mood swings (formerly debilitating for me) or breast tenderness.
There was a side effect though - it shortened my cycle by a week. I couldn't stand that so I'm off it now. But haven't found anything else yet that worked as well.
Flax Seed Oil
Posted by Jonna (Los Angeles, CA) on 05/28/2008
★★★★★
I have been taking flax seed oil for my skin. However, one additional benefit I have noticed is that flax oil is very helpful during those hormonal fluctuations in my cycle (ie., PMS!). I take more or less depending on how I feel. I take up to 3 tablespoons as day starting a week before I get my period. It takes about an hour, but has an immediate calming effect. I would say the effect lasts about 8 hours before I need to take more. I have also noticed that on day 5 of my period, something shifts in my brain chemistry again (ie., emotional, easily triggered) and I up my flax seed oil dosage again. I am going to keep experimenting with the dosages and will let you all know. I am guessing this could be one of the best remedies to get through perimenopause and menopause. Any else had the same results as me?
