Women, treat your body to this magical PMS tea

There are herbs and herbal mixes made into teas or infusions that have the proven ability to lessen if not completely do away with uncomfortable situations that come with the dreaded period each month. One such herbal tea mix that my wife has made popular around our home is two herbs less popular than most, Raspberry leaf and Cramp bark. By mixing these two complex herbs together and using them as an herbal infusion or tea, you will get the desired effect of a doctor with magic hands taking up residence in your abdomen.

Two of the less known about herbs today, Raspberry leaf resembles a pile of moldy, crushed leaves and Crap bark resembles what its name says, ground up tree bark. However, it may look don't let it fool you because these two herbs used together as an herbal tea seems to be one of the world's greatest PMS symptom fighters of all time. Following is the method of which to follow to make this magical herb tea and how to use it to receive monthly relief of cramping and bloating and all the despised symptoms of the enemy all women know as PMS.

First and foremost a small lesson in herbs: any herb that is a bark, berry, root or something other than the leafy part of the plant has to be made into what is called a decoction and the leafy herbs are made into what is called an infusion. To make a decoction you will have to boil the herb into a brew, usually, for a cup of herb tea, you will use a teaspoon of dried herb to two cups of water because of the evaporating process.

Boiling the hard parts of the herb for a minimum of 10 minutes will usually extract the medicinal content of the herb. When making an infusion simply pour boiling water over about two teaspoons of the dried herb in a cup and let it steep for about 5-10 minutes covered, sweeten to your preferred taste if desired and drink. Now to make the PMS tea is a little more complex due to its mix of both bark and leaf.

So what you will need to do is first make the cramp bark decoction and then pour the boiling decoction over the Raspberry leaf in your cup and let it steep for about 5-10 minutes covered, the longer you steep it the stronger it is. Then you strain it; sweeten to your desired taste and drink, bye bye cramps. My wife tells me that the tea resembles drinking a bitter, slightly nutty tea mix so if you find the PMS tea less than desirable as I am sure some will, then I suggest adding your favorite herbal flavor to your PMS tea concoction to make it taste better.

Mom never told you the medicine would taste good, she just said take it! One of the favorite herbal flavor additions in my home seem to be peppermint leaf or spearmint leaf, simply add this herb with the Raspberry leaf when you pour the Crap bark decoction over the leaf to brew. Any herb that you like the taste of could be added. Using this herb tea for relief of your monthly PMS symptoms will be beneficial if you are religious in your use of it.

Ideally, you will want to drink this tea about two days before your period starts, during your period as well as up to two days after your period. Two to three cups a day will be fine. If you use a cramp bark tincture, all you have to do is, place about 30 drops of it into your raspberry tea and your mix is complete. If you use cramp bark capsules, take them with a warm cup of raspberry leaf tea. As a side note, it’s a good idea to always store your dried herbs in an airtight container and in a dark place such as a cupboard. And replace any herbs not used after a year.