Welcome to the final installment in the Moon Cycle Series!
In case you need to catch up:
Part One: I talk about my journey to making peace with my period
Part Two: Your connection to the moon and breakdown of the 4 phases of your cycle
Part Three: Incorporating ritual and self-care into your moon cycle (+ sea sponges!)
Part Four: Eating for Your Moon Cycle {video interview with Nadia Munla}
Part Five: Trusting Your Body & Tracking Your Cycle
For this final post, my intention is to offer up some healing wisdom and herbal lore I’ve gathered from fellow dabbling women. As much as I’ve enjoyed talking about all the different aspects of our cycles, it is talking about what we can create with our hands to alleviate and celebrate our moon cycles that lights me up the most.
But before I share a few tonics and teas to support your moon cycle, I wanted to crystallize some ideas that have been percolating during these past 3 weeks of sharing and conversing with you.
Women are powerful when bleeding.
Despite what we may have been taught about the nuisance or dirtiness of our period blood, our moon time is a sacred one.
In many cultures that came long before us, a bleeding woman was powerful. She was given time away from her daily duties to honor this time and care for herself. Certain cultures even believed women’s menstrual blood to be the “amrita” or nectar of life that contains magical, healing properties.
My intention is for you and your communities to come together to re-signify our moon time so we can remember the power and magic of a woman’s period.
We are are most intuitive when we bleed (you can read more about that in part 2) and, if we are able to quiet our minds and bodies enough, we can achieve a deeper level of listening and receiving of the wisdom that is coming to our during our moon time.
Menstruation is a time of self-cleansing for our bodies.
I think is one of the most beautiful and often forgotten notions about this time of the month. When we menstruate, our blood is carrying chemical and emotional toxins out of our body. It is a purging that we are able to take advantage of every 28 days – when we allow ourselves to feel and to heal whatever needs to be released. (We talk about creating ritual around this in part 3.)
Herbal Teas to Support Healthy Menstruation
These herbs are tonic herbs, meaning they are high in vitamins and minerals to support specific body systems (in this case, your reproductive system).
These herbs are best taken in water-based preparations {aka teas and cold water infusions}. I like to make a cup of hot tea to drink before bed and put a cold water infusion in the fridge overnight to drink throughout the day the next day.
Red Raspberry Leaf
Helps to reduce symptoms of premenstrual tensions and painful bleeding. Great to drink throughout the month or during menstruation to relieve cramping.
Red Clover Blossom
A hormone balancing herb that helps relieve PMS symptoms and correct irregular periods. It’s also great for eliminating toxins in the body while cleansing the blood.
NOTE: If you have a very heavy menstrual bloodflow, avoid this herb as it has blood-thinning properties.
Nettle Leaf
This leaf is so full of vitamins and minerals (even protein!), I highly recommend using it. It helps to restore health adrenal function to balance hormones and ease menstrual cramping in addition to other symptoms.
NOTE: Nettle has diuretic properties so drinking it before bed may cause you to get up and pee during the night.
Lemon Balm
My favorite herb of the moment (that is growing all over my cottage garden), lemon balm is a fragrant mint that helps calm the nervous system (particularly in the luteal phase of your cycle leading up to your bleed). I also think it’s helpful to drink lemon balm during your bleed when your body want to rest and repair.
Herbs to Relieve Cramping
Adding these fresh herbs to some hot tea and sipping throughout the day can really help relieve painful stomach and back cramps.
Rosemary – Improves circulation and blood flow to help relieve spasms and move pain through and out the body.
Ginger – great for PMS cramps and digestive flow.
Happy Menstruation Tea
Drink this tea during your moon time to stabilize your mood and nourish your body.
1 part lemon balm
1 part skullcap
1/2 part rose
1/2 part lavender
Pour hot water over the herbs and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes before drinking.
{I want to credit the wise and beautiful Brittany Wood Nickerson of Thyme Herbal and her zine Sacred & Mysterious for much of this wisdom.}
There are so many incredible books out there, but one that I’ve particularly loved is The Way of the Happy Woman by Sara Avant Stover.
Sara talks about unlocking the the magic of our feminine cycles, bringing a nature and spiritual element that feels so lovely and right. Sara is hosting a 2-week online immersion course called Reversing Our “Curse” in late August that I am looking forward to.
Perhaps you’ll join me?
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That completes this 3-week Moon Cycle series. I’m wondering…have your feelings about your moon cycle changed at all? Have you started tracking your cycle? Or maybe you have converted to sea sponges, like me?
Tell me what’s going on for you in the comments below and we can keep this virtual red tent of sisterhood going beyond these 3 weeks!
