Premenstrual Syndrome

Premenstrual Syndrome

I recently read about a bumper sticker that said: "Warning: I have PMS and I have a gun." Maybe the woman driving the car should take a bead on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has tried mighty hard over the years to discourage the use of evening primrose oil (EPO) for treating the irritability and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

I'm a botanist, not a doctor, so I'm leery of prescribing medicine, especially in the realm of women's health. But from everything I know about primrose oil, I would encourage my daughter, or any other woman, to try EPO. I have also taught many women who have PMS to gather this American Indian food plant and make a cereal containing EPO out of the seeds.

PMS describes a variety of possible symptoms that can occur as a woman approaches menstruation: anxiety, bloating, breast tenderness, irritability, moodiness and weight gain. Most authorities believe that all of these symptoms are caused by changes in the levels of female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, that precede menstruation.

The higher the estrogen level, scientists say, the greater the risk of PMS. Estimates vary, but some 25 to 50 percent of menstruating women suffer some degree of PMS, with 8 to 15 percent experiencing severe symptoms.

Green Pharmacy for Premenstrual Syndrome

Fortunately, there are any number of herbs, including evening primrose, that can help relieve the symptoms.

Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus). The small fruits of the chaste tree have been used for menstrual disorders since Greco-Roman times.

Researchers have found that chasteberry helps relieve PMS because of its effects on female sex hormones. It helps balance hormones produced during women's monthly cycles, increasing production of luteinizing hormone and inhibiting the release of follicle-stimulating hormone. This leads to a shift in the estrogen-progesterone ratio, resulting in less estrogen to cause or aggravate PMS.

The only caveat is that women who have PMS with significant depression should probably steer clear of chasteberry. Some research suggests that PMS with depression is caused by excess progesterone, and chasteberry is said to raise progesterone levels.

For most women, though, chasteberry works. In one year-long study, women with PMS took either 175 milligrams a day of chasteberry extract or 200 milligrams a day of vitamin B₆, a frequently touted supplement that is said to quell PMS. Chasteberry proved clearly superior to the B₆.

At least one chasteberry product is approved in Germany for use as a treatment for PMS, menstrual complaints and breast tenderness. You can buy both the herb itself and herbal tinctures in many stores that carry herbal products.

Chinese angelica (Angelica sinensis). One of the most respected herbs in Chinese traditional medicine, Chinese angelica, or dang-quai, is used primarily as a women's tonic to treat PMS and menstrual cramps. Many women take two capsules twice a day to prevent PMS. (You should not use Chinese angelica if you are pregnant.)

Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). For centuries, American Indian woman have been chewing the seeds of the evening primrose for premenstrual and menstrual complaints. And EPO is an approved PMS treatment in Great Britain.

I'm not the only herb lover who touts EPO for PMS. The word is getting out. On my last pharmacy ecotour to Costa Rica, I overheard a conversation between two women pharmacists who did not know that I was within earshot. One said she took one EPO capsule a day all month until she felt her PMS coming on, then upped her intake to four capsules a day until her period was over. She said she'd been doing this for several years and had persuaded all of her co-workers, five other women, to adopt the same regimen.

"The six of us," she said, "have been working together so long that our periods have almost become synchronized. I'd hate to think what would have happened without EPO--all of us with PMS at the same time each month."

I give a lot of speeches about herbal medicine around the world, and I like to tell my audiences about EPO. After one speech, a woman proudly told me that she'd been taking EPO for her PMS for years, and she had experienced substantial relief. Then, in a whisper, she confided that she worked for the FDA, the very agency whose regulations have sometimes denied this valuable natural treatment to the millions of American women who suffer premenstrual discomfort.

I should make it clear here that EPO is now available commercially for women to use. What I'm complaining about is that the FDA forbids labeling this product as helpful in treating PMS.

The FDA should know that EPO is not harmful. And in addition to the woman I met, many people within the FDA know that it alleviates PMS symptoms. But the agency won't approve it because it does not accept the British safety and effectiveness studies.

The FDA needs American studies submitted by a U.S. pharmaceutical company intent on marketing EPO. But a drug company would have to register EPO as a new drug and spend up to $500 million to prove it safe and effective. What pharmaceutical firm in its right mind would invest half a billion dollars to prove that EPO relieves PMS when anyone can simply go out and forage the seeds and use them?

Around Maryland, where I live, evening primrose seeds can be harvested free all winter long. I have gathered as much as a pound during a two-hour outing. And whether you gather the seeds yourself or purchase EPO at a natural food store or pharmacy, there's nothing to stop you from using EPO to treat PMS.

Evening Primrose The leaves and flowers of evening primrose, an American Indian food plant, produce a valuable seed oil that helps relieve premenstrual complaints.

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). This is a traditional liver tonic often recommended for ridding the body of all kinds of toxins. When the liver is sluggish, it processes estrogen slowly, contributing to the high levels that may cause or aggravate PMS. This herb can also reduce bloating and breast tenderness. I suggest trying a tea made with equal parts of stinging nettle and burdock.

Burdock (Arctium lappa). Burdock is also a traditional liver tonic, and I believe that its mild stimulating effects on that organ make it useful for treating the irritability of PMS. Burdock is also mildly diuretic, which means it may help relieve PMS-related bloating and breast tenderness, both of which are associated with too much fluid in the system.

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus). Raspberry is best known as a pregnancy tonic that quiets an irritable uterus. But I've heard many good herbalists praise it for helping to treat PMS as well. As a safe and tasty beverage, it's probably worth a try.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Both of these herbs are sedative/tranquilizers that might help relieve the nervous tension and irritability of PMS.

Soy products, peanuts and other legumes. Tofu and other soy products contain natural but weak plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) that limit the uptake of the estrogen produced by the body. This anti-estrogen effect has been credited with helping to prevent breast cancer, and I don't see why it wouldn't also help ease the symptoms of PMS. Although soybeans have gotten a good deal of attention because they contain the estrogenic compound genistein, peanuts, black beans and lima beans often contain even more of this compound. And the scurfy pea (Psoralea corylifolia) has some 50 times more genistein than soybeans.