Looking for an all-natural pain killer for menstrual cramps and PMS relief? Put the Midol down and grab some CBD oil! Read this post by CBD School contributor Sera on how CBD can help with menstrual pain.
Every woman is familiar with the discomforts that come by and visit once a month.
For some, it’s worse than others, but almost all women will welcome something to relieve some of that uneasiness.
For many, it’s just a matter of finding something that works.
For others, it’s important to be able to deal with menstrual stress in a more natural way.
That is where cannabis, and specifically the use of CBD, come to the monthly party.
More and more women are finding themselves using cannabis in the form of CBD oils to deal with menstrual cramps as well as stress and mood swings. Why? Because it works!
Dealing with the Psychological and Physical
Self-doubt, insecurity, anxiety, and depression can hit like a freight train, every month.
It’s also not uncommon for women to find it difficult to concentrate, making it feel almost impossible to make it through the day.
Then there are the mood swings, which for some ladies can make them feel that they’re losing control over their emotions and bordering a little too close to “cray-cray”!
A Natural Remedy
CBD is just one of many alternative, herbal medicines that can be used to treat period pain. What makes CBD different is that so many women testify to its effectiveness.
Smoking marijuana is one way to relax cramps when things get rough but there obvious cons to using THC. Some people want the pain relief without the high. In some states, it’s still illegal to use. For those of you who don’t want to use THC, non-psychotic CBD might just be the solution for PMS and menstrual cramp relief .
Living with a medical cannabis grower taught me a lot about the different ways you can use this magnificent plant to make things flow a little better when you need them to.
One of the Oldest Medicines for Women
It’s so refreshing to see the re-emergence of marijuana in the medical world, because once upon a time we relied on it as a staple in the medicine cabinet.
In fact, one of the most common reasons that cannabis tinctures were prescribed to women in the 19th century was menstrual cramps.
Queen Victoria was even known to have used CBD rich cannabis to lessen some of the pain she experienced from her cycle.
The point is that it isn’t all that strange that we find relief from menstrual pain through cannabis use because we have been doing it for hundreds of years now.
Modern technology, combined with more favorable state cannabis laws, has allowed us to grow cannabis specifically for the purpose of being rich in CBD, which makes this healing cannabinoid even more accessible to us now.
CBD Works to Treat Menstrual Cramps and PMS Pain
For the sake of understanding a little bit about how CBD actually works to reduce pain, we need a little crash course on cannascience.
There is a system of cannabinoids in your body and brain. It’s called the endocannabinoid system.
This system governs appetite, memory, pain sensation, creativity, motor control, and many other sensations too.
So, when you feel pain anywhere in your body, it is likely that there is a lot of activity taking place between receptors in that area.
This is where your endocannabinoid system would kick into gear, restoring balance to the neuron/receptor war, and putting everything back into order.
Using CBD, whether through smoking, with oil, or with topical treatments, triggers some of the cannabinoid receptors in your body that would otherwise be kicked into gear when some healing is taking place.
It is just like giving your endocannabinoid system an extra boost for all the healing that it’s about to do.
This is how cannabis can be used to relieve some of the pain experienced during menstruation, and it is the same way that those dealing with injuries can use cannabis to deal with their pain.
Cannabinoids are also responsible for other things that could cause a decrease in pain factor, such as relaxation of the muscles.
Benefits of CBD to Treat PMS and Menstrual Cramps
MUSCLE RELAXANT FOR PAINFUL PERIOD CRAMPS
Menstrual cramps are perhaps the most common symptom women experience during their cycle, with most experiencing them to some degree.
For some lucky ones, the pain isn’t too bad. For others, the pain is so relentless it can become unbearable.
Want to rip out your uterus once a month? You’re certainly not alone.
Cramps occur when hormones stimulate muscle contractions within the uterus.
These contractions, that are similar to labor pains, inhibit blood flow to the lining of the uterus, resulting in the pain some 90% of women experience each month.
The key to overcoming cramps?
Relax the uterine muscles. CBD does just that.
CBD, the non-psychoactive (doesn’t get you high) cannabinoid, is often used as a muscle relaxant and can do wonders to alleviate even the most severe cases of period cramps.
CBD-infused creams and salves can be applied topically and go to work quickly to ease pain.
Simply apply a CBD topical to the affected area on the abdomen and you may notice your cramps begin to melt away.
Or take a CBD oil tincture for a double hit of relief.
EASE PMS and MENSTRUAL CRAMP PAIN
Some women, experience lower back pain like clockwork each month indicating that it is indeed Period-time.
For others, intense headaches or breast tenderness are the sign that their monthly cycle is about to begin.
This pain and discomfort can last for the entire cycle…each and every month.
CBD user turned entrepreneur, Hana Cookson, discovered the benefits of CBD for hormonal migraines and PMS:
“I had been on birth control for the last 14 years of my life, so when I came off it, my hormones went haywire trying to adjust.
I had never experienced migraines before and for days on end, I had a constant migraine so bad I couldn’t sleep, walk, be in the light, or anything.
After several days, while laying in bed awake at 4 am, I remembered the CBD oil we had and thought maybe it would help.
I took two droplets and laid back down.
Within 10 minutes, I felt this melting sensation as the pressure disappeared. It was as though someone had been squeezing my head all this time and was finally letting it go.
A few more minutes and I was able to fall asleep. I took the CBD oil for another 4 days whenever I felt a migraine coming on until the migraines went away.
I strongly suggest using CBD for anyone who suffers from hormonal headaches and migraines, I don’t know what would have worked if I hadn’t tried the CBD oil”.
So hallelujah!…CBD is here.
In a report examining the use of CBD for chronic pain, researchers looked at the results of several studies and clinical trials and found that: “patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids are more likely to experience a clinically significant reduction in pain symptoms.”
And that is fantastic news.
You can see those studies and more of the fantastic benefits for debilitating pain and health issues here.
And there are no proven negative side effects (none in the majority of cases) associated with CBD.
Taking CBD tinctures, vapes, gummies, or capsules at the first signs of PMS, and throughout the menstrual cycle can help ease the pain and general discomfort countless women experience when on their period.
CBD Can Help Manage The PMS Moods Swings
Using CBD Oils and Topicals
So, some of us love smoking the herb, and that’s totally okay.
But when it comes to using cannabis/hemp-based products to treat period pain, there are alternative ways to ingest that allow the body to absorb sufficient CBD to provide relief.
CBD Oil is the perfect example because it is an extremely CBD rich extract of cannabis that is designed to reach the blood quickly.
When CBD is ingested internally, the pain that is being triggered is the pain caused by receptors in the brain and body. This works almost the exact same way in the case of period pain as it does in the case of a headache.
CBD knows where your pain receptors are, and it can help them from firing militantly.
The use of CBD topicals is another way of attacking the problem.
There are many lotions and creams now made with cannabis that contain the healing power of CBD.
By massaging it into your skin, you can get relief directly to the muscles around your uterus. Of course, the effect is topical, meaning it targets only the places where you rub the lotion.
It works by relaxing the muscles and decreasing any inflammation that could be happening in the area.
Difference between Marijuana Oil and CBD Oil
The fundamental difference between CBD oil and other kinds of marijuana oil is that CBD oil has zero or very little THC content.
The cannabinoid that is responsible for the “stoned” effect that marijuana users love is THC.
The production of products that are CBD only or CBD dominant is not because THC does not contain healing properties of its own, rather it’s to offer cannabis as a medicine to those who don’t desire the intoxicating effects of THC.
CBD products with less than 0.3% THC are also legal at the federal level making them far more accessible for those who need them. See THC vs CBD for more information on this.
CBD-only medicine makes cannabis available and accessible to all kinds of people, including children and elderly people.
For women wanting to treat menstrual cramps, CBD treatments are effective because it means you don’t have to get on with life stoned (which isn’t such a bad thing either but there’s a time and a place for everything).
In the case of the working woman or the working mother, where maybe it’s not the perfect time to be blazed, CBD treatments offer the perfect alternative.
You can have your cake and eat it too with CBD!
