PMS – three letters that induce at least mixed feelings in women and most of us experience some sort of PMS symptoms each month. There is no “one-fits-all” approach to the easing of the symptoms like recurring breast tenderness, cramping, anxiety, mood swings, headaches and brain fog, but the good news is that there are several essential oils that are absolutely valuable to try, as singles or blends, in order to find relief in the days before your period starts.
There are some major hormonal shifts during a month in a womans’ body, which cannot be completely changed or prevented, but: some of the shifts are out of proportion due to environmental, physical or chemical impacts and that is the part where we have the power to calm down the system and find relief.
Let’s have a look at the oils that work in that direction:
First of all there is clary sage, an emotionally uplifting oil that smoothes out the hormonal situation that is going on. It is a true helper for women and the sweet and heavy signature scent combines well with other oils in the diffuser or in a blend.
Geranium is another one: it’s soothing, mood lifting and balancing, sounds like something that is especially created for us!
The third player in this group is lavender, known for centuries for its soothing and calming properties, reducing pain and anxiety while improving sleep.
The last one I want to mention here is Roman chamomile, its relaxing and calming effects are well-known and documented.
While all the above mentioned oils seem to do a lot of the same, they all have their unique approach and smooth different areas of your system, so they do different things at different places, which leads to a nice synergy effect if you combine them.
Whenever I feel under the weather due to hormonal fluctuations, I use my Clarycalm roller from doTerra, where all the above ingredients are contained together with some more beneficial ingredients. It gives me more clarity in my head, reduces significantly my cramps that I have and get me into a better emotional state.
Scientific fact: In 2012 an important study was conducted in Korea with 55 teenage girls, comparing the effects of paracetamol with an abdominal essential oil blend massage. The essential oils used in the blend were: clary sage, majoram, cinnamom, ginger and geranium. The group with the aromatherapy treatment was found to receive significantly greater relief than the paracetamol group.
Be well and see you soon!