There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes with the week before your period, and the days you are bleeding. The dull ache in your lower back that will not quite go away. The emotional sensitivity that makes a small comment feel enormous. The cancelled plans. The painkillers. The hot water bottle. The quiet thought, somewhere in the back of your mind, that no one has ever really explained why your body does this to you every single month, or what, if anything, you can actually do about it.
You have been told it is just part of being a woman. You have been told to take an ibuprofen and get on with it. You have been told that the way you feel in the days before your period is in your head.
None of that is true.
Your pain is a signal. Your PMS is a signal. Your body is intelligent, and she is asking for support. And for thousands of years, long before painkillers were invented, women across every culture in the world used specific plants to answer that call. Ayurveda. Traditional Chinese Medicine. European folk herbalism. African traditional medicine. Indigenous healing systems across the Americas. In every one of these traditions, women knew which herbs supported the body through her bleed, and which herbs eased the days before.
But can it actually help you? Can a cup of tea really change how you feel each month? Can something as simple as a plant make a real difference to the pain, the mood swings, the bloating, the exhaustion?
Yes.
Modern science is finally catching up to what our grandmothers always knew. The herbs we are about to share with you have been studied in randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses, and clinical research. The evidence is real, and it is quietly impressive.
This is what we built the Mosha Cycle Syncing Teas around. A ritual, held in your cup, drawn from the lineage of women who understood that herbs are medicine. Here is what the science actually says about the ones we chose, and the others worth knowing about too.
A Note Before We Begin
Herbs are not a replacement for medical care. If your pain is severe, if your periods are heavy enough that you are soaking through protection every hour, if you are passing large clots, if your symptoms interfere with daily life for weeks on end, please see a healthcare provider you trust. Conditions like endometriosis, adenomyosis, and fibroids deserve proper support.
But alongside that care, herbs can do real work. They have for centuries. Here is what the science actually says about the ones we love most.
The Herbs Inside Restore (For Your Bleed)
Our Restore blend was built around four specific herbs, each one chosen for both its traditional use and the modern clinical evidence behind it. These are the herbs we recommend most for the days you are bleeding.
Ginger
If you only use one herb for period pain, let it be ginger.
The research is extraordinary. Studies have shown that ginger is as effective as prescription painkillers at reducing menstrual pain. One clinical trial directly compared ginger to a common prescription NSAID in women with painful periods, and found no meaningful difference between the two. Other research has shown ginger significantly reduces pain severity compared to a placebo.
She works by directly lowering prostaglandins, the chemicals in your body that cause your uterus to contract painfully. She also reduces inflammation across the body and settles the nausea that many women feel alongside their cramps.
How to use her outside the tea: Grate fresh ginger into your morning hot water with lemon. Add her generously into stir fries, curries, soups, and stews. Simmer fresh slices for 15 minutes with honey for a strong brew when the pain begins.
Turmeric
Turmeric contains curcumin, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory compounds in nature. Clinical research has shown that curcumin can meaningfully reduce PMS symptoms, including mood changes, behavioural symptoms, and physical pain, over the course of three cycles. More recent reviews of the evidence have confirmed her effect on both PMS severity and menstrual pain.
Beyond her role in pain relief, turmeric supports your liver, which quietly matters because your liver is responsible for metabolising estrogen and clearing it from your body cleanly. When your liver is overburdened, estrogen can build up, which contributes to heavier periods, breast tenderness, and worsened PMS.
How to use her outside the tea: Add turmeric to curries, roasted vegetables, scrambled eggs, and golden milks. For best absorption, always pair her with a pinch of black pepper and a source of fat. Black pepper has been shown to dramatically increase the amount of curcumin your body actually absorbs.
Cinnamon
Warm, sweet, and quietly powerful. Clinical research in young women with painful periods has shown that cinnamon significantly reduces both the severity and duration of cramping, with no reported side effects. Other studies have also shown she can reduce the amount of menstrual bleeding in women with heavy periods, which suggests she gently supports uterine tone as well.
Beyond her direct effects on the cycle, cinnamon is one of the most well-studied herbs in the world for blood sugar balance. This matters more than it sounds, because blood sugar crashes drive cortisol spikes, and cortisol makes prostaglandin production and cramping worse.
How to use her outside the tea: Sprinkle cinnamon into your morning oats, yoghurt, or porridge. Add her to coffee or tea. Simmer a cinnamon stick in your bone broths and soups. Stir her into baked apples or roasted sweet potato for the sweetest medicine.
Rose Petals
Rose has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic, Persian, and Middle Eastern traditions to soothe the nervous system, ease the heart, and support the feminine. Modern research has shown that drinking rose tea daily can meaningfully reduce menstrual pain, lower anxiety, and improve sleep in young women.
She contains compounds that research has linked to anti-inflammatory and nervous-system-calming effects. In your bleeding phase, when your nervous system is more sensitive and your emotions run closer to the surface, rose is a gentle, ancient balm. She also brings a softness and beauty to the ritual of your daily cup.
How to use her outside the tea: Add dried rose petals to tea blends and infusions. Stir rose water into your morning smoothie or yoghurt. Simmer a few petals in warm milk at night with a touch of honey. Keep a bottle of rose water in your bathroom and spritz on your face when you need a moment of calm.
The Herbs Inside Calm (For Your Luteal Phase)
Our Calm blend was built around three herbs chosen specifically for the luteal phase, when PMS symptoms begin to arrive. These are the ones we recommend most for the days before your bleed.
Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most researched calming herbs in the world. Clinical studies have shown that chamomile can significantly reduce emotional PMS symptoms, ease the intensity of menstrual cramps, and improve both anxiety and sleep disturbance, which are two of the most common complaints in the luteal phase.
She works through compounds that gently bind to the same calming receptors in the brain that prescription anti-anxiety medications target. The difference is that chamomile offers that softness without side effects or dependency.
How to use her outside the tea: Steep dried chamomile flowers in hot water for at least 7 to 10 minutes to draw out her active compounds. You can also add dried chamomile to warm baths, or infuse her in olive oil for a calming massage oil.
Rooibos
Rooibos (red bush) is a South African herb that is caffeine-free and extraordinarily rich in antioxidants. Research from Stellenbosch University, one of the world's leading centres of rooibos research, has shown that rooibos helps the body manage stress by lowering cortisol, and may support hormonal balance by protecting the body from the oxidative stress linked to PMS.
She is particularly valuable in the luteal phase because she supports the body without stimulating the nervous system, unlike green or black tea. She also naturally contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, and manganese, which are nutrients your body needs more of in the days before your bleed.
How to use her outside the tea: Brew rooibos as a long-steeped iced tea in summer. Add her as the base liquid in overnight oats or chia puddings. Simmer rooibos with warming spices for an afternoon ritual drink.
Lavender
Lavender has been shown in clinical studies to significantly reduce anxiety and improve sleep. Research in women with PMS has found that even ten minutes of lavender aromatherapy can shift the body out of stress response and into rest-and-digest mode. Her compounds work on the same calming pathway in the brain as chamomile, which is why the two are such natural companions in the luteal phase.
How to use her outside the tea: Steep culinary lavender in tea or warm milk. Add a few drops of pure lavender essential oil to your bath or your pillow. Keep a small sachet of dried lavender in your bedroom to breathe in before sleep.
Other Herbs Worth Knowing About
A quick note before we go further. Two of the most powerful herbs for women, raspberry leaf and lemon balm, are already woven into our other Mosha blends. They are supporting your cycle each month without you having to think about it. The herbs below are the ones not in any of our blends, but worth bringing into your cooking, your warm milks, and your daily rituals.
Cramp Bark
Cramp bark has been used in European folk herbalism for centuries for one specific purpose: soothing the painful uterine contractions of menstruation. The bark contains compounds that research has shown help relax smooth muscle, and clinical reviews have confirmed her traditional use for painful periods and uterine pain.
How to use her in daily life: Cramp bark is typically taken as a tincture (a few drops in water) or as a strong tea made from the dried bark. You can find her at most herbal apothecaries. Begin a day or two before your period is due and continue through the first few days of bleeding.
Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry)
Vitex is one of the most well-researched herbs for PMS in modern science. The evidence consistently shows that she can significantly reduce PMS symptoms including breast tenderness, mood changes, irritability, and headaches. She works gently on the pituitary gland to support progesterone balance across the luteal phase.
How to use her in daily life: Vitex is best taken as a capsule or tincture rather than a food. Take her daily, in the morning, consistently for at least three cycles. Please speak to a herbalist or healthcare provider before beginning vitex, especially if you are on hormonal medication.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, which means she helps the body respond better to stress. Research has shown that ashwagandha can meaningfully lower cortisol, ease anxiety, and improve sleep quality when taken consistently over a couple of months. She is especially helpful in the luteal phase, when your nervous system is more sensitive and cortisol is more disruptive.
How to use her in daily life: Ashwagandha has a slightly bitter, earthy taste. She blends beautifully into warm milks (traditional in Ayurveda), smoothies, and golden milk blends. A small spoon of ashwagandha powder in warm milk with cinnamon and a touch of honey before bed is one of the oldest and most beautiful nervous system rituals in the world.
How to Build These Herbs Into Your Daily Life
Here is the truth. The real difference comes from using these herbs consistently, not perfectly.
You do not need to buy every single herb we have mentioned. You do not need to drink seven cups of tea a day. You do not need to overhaul your entire kitchen.
Start with one or two herbs that speak to you. Add them into your cooking. Sip them in your afternoon tea. Stir them into your evening milk. Let them become part of your rhythm, so that by the time your next cycle comes around, your body is already quietly supported.
Little moments add up to real medicine over time.
Why We Built Our Teas This Way
The reason we built the Mosha Cycle Syncing Subscription the way we did is because we know how hard it is to source, blend, and drink these herbs consistently in modern life. Life gets in the way. The herbs sit at the back of the cupboard. The practice slips.
Our teas take that work off your plate.
Calm holds chamomile, rooibos, and lavender. Three of the most researched herbs for soothing PMS, calming the nervous system, and preparing your body for her bleed.
Restore holds ginger, turmeric, cinnamon chips, and rose petals. Four of the most powerful herbs for softening cramping, reducing inflammation, warming the body, and holding your heart through your bleed.
Every ingredient is organic, sourced from sustainable farms, and handmade in small batches here in the UK. We ship worldwide with free delivery, because this medicine belongs to women everywhere.
If you want to receive these teas each month, alongside our complete Cycle Syncing Guide, explore the subscription here.
A Final Word
Your kitchen is a medicine cabinet. Your daily cup of tea is a ritual. The herbs that have supported women for thousands of years are still here, still working, still waiting for you to reach for them.
You do not have to carry period pain and PMS as the cost of being a woman. There is another way. And it starts with the plants.
Welcome home, love.
This article is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a healthcare provider before beginning any new herb, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, on medication, or managing a chronic condition.
Key References
- Shirvani MA et al. The effect of mefenamic acid and ginger on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2015.
- Chen CX et al. Efficacy of Oral Ginger for Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2016.
- Khayat S et al. Curcumin attenuates severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2015.
- Jaafarpour M et al. The Effect of Cinnamon on Menstrual Bleeding and Systemic Symptoms With Primary Dysmenorrhea. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal. 2015.
- Effect of Chamomile capsule on premenstrual syndrome symptoms relief. Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility.
- Stellenbosch University research on rooibos. IOL Lifestyle Health, 2024.
- Kazemzadeh R et al. Effect of lavender aromatherapy on menopause hot flashing: a crossover randomized clinical trial. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association. 2016.
- On the Use of Viburnum Opulus (L.) in Dysmenorrhoea and Uterine Pain. NCBI PMC9093996.
- Chasteberry (Vitex) systematic review for PMS. MGH Center for Women's Mental Health.
- Lemon balm clinical trial on PMS symptoms. International Journal of Women's Health and Reproduction.
- Lopresti AL et al. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract. Medicine. 2019.
Sources:
- On the Use of Viburnum Opulus (L.) in Dysmenorrhoea and Uterine Pain
- Chasteberry for PMS and PMDD, MGH Center for Women's Mental Health
- Lemon balm clinical trial, International Journal of Women's Health and Reproduction
- Effect of Chamomile capsule on PMS, Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
- Stellenbosch University rooibos research