Feel Like Your Hormones Are Out of Whack? This PMS-Soothing Tea Recipe Is Here To Help

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When your hormones are out of whack, your body tells you...loudly. The signs can range from breakouts and irregular periods to mood swings, belly cramps, and (sigh) so much more. Simply stated, when something in your endocrine system feels unbalanced, everything can feel a bit off. Fortunately, along with getting in some relaxation—try these simple stretches that target stomach cramps or soaking in the tub—and checking in with your doctor about your stress levels, there are certain herbs and dietary adjustments that you can make to keep your hormones happy.
But first, to be best-equipped to consider solutions for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), it helps have an understanding of what's causing your hormonal fluctuations. "PMS is our measure of how happy our hormone levels are," says registered herbalist Rachelle Robinett, RH. "So, over the course of approximately a month [for instance], if we reduce caffeine and sugar, sleep more, and have a little bit less stress, then our PMS levels may be drastically reduced. It's a little measure for how our hormones are doing—there is a direct relationship between hormone balance and PMS symptom severity," she says. Robinett also reminds us that beyond PMS, which can include PMS after period, the hormonal system is incredibly vast and complex: "We have other sex hormones, we have sleep hormones, we have stress hormones; we can dig into all of that in future episodes."
On our latest episode of Plant Based, Robinett teaches us how to make a soothing PMS tea to help you find more hormonal harmony at whatever stage your body is feeling today. "The focus of this blend is to specifically help balance hormones that affect PMS," she says. Sip it as a targeted form of self-soothing treatment during those (ahem) periods when you need a little extra relief from symptoms of imbalance, or drink it daily as a preventative treatment to help balance hormone levels at any time. According to Robinett, however, "like most things, the more often you use it, the better—but it'll still work on the spot [when suffering from acute PMS symptoms]." And as always, she recommends checking with a healthcare practitioner before implementing any of these herbs or supplements, especially if you're working on fertility treatments, pregnant, or nursing.

The tea is made from a red clover blossom and raspberry leaf base, which Robinett says which provide vitamins, minerals, and estrogen-supporting properties, uterine toning, and smooth muscle relaxing. There's also licorice stick and dandelion root for liver support, plus ginger for more muscle relaxation.


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Ready to get started? Watch the video to learn how to whip it up, and find the step-by-step recipe for soothing PMS tea below.

Soothing PMS tea recipe

Ingredients
1/3 cup red clover blossoms
1/3 cup raspberry leaf
1 stick licorice root, broken into a few pieces (you can also use 1 bag of licorice tea)
1/3 cup dandelion root
1 Tbsp ginger, fresh or dried
A few drops of "Cramp Bark" herbal tincture, optional
32 oz. hot water

Fill up a pitcher with the herbs, then pour in hot water, stir, and allow tea to steep several minutes—or overnight for a fuller extraction. 

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