From the whole herb to the essential oil, using cloves for menstrual cramps can give you quick relief from painful periods.
And since cloves are a common household spice, you probably already have them in your kitchen!
So, to help you get started with using cloves for period cramps, this post is going to cover:
- the main properties of cloves that make it helpful for menstrual pain.
- 3 ways you can use the herb and essential to relieving cramps.
Now, let’s go ahead and have a closer look at what cloves have to offer!
BENEFITS OF USING CLOVES FOR PERIOD CRAMPS
1. Natural Pain Reliever
Cloves a powerhouse when it comes to relieving pain naturally. And it’s all due to a compound called eugenol.
Eugenol is an antioxidant found in cloves. And so far, research shows that eugenol is effective at numbing and reducing pain.
As a matter of fact, eugenol is one of the reasons why cloves have historically been used to soothe toothaches.
Furthermore, clove oil is also one of the ingredients in Tiger Balm, which is a popular over-the-counter pain reliever.
But that’s not all…cloves also increase blood circulation! And when you increase blood flow to the site of pain, that helps relieve the tension and tightness in that area.
Side note: clove also reduces nausea which is another PMS symptom that tends to occur with menstrual cramps.
2. Supports Liver Health
If you’ve read my post on home remedies for menstrual cramps then you know that an imbalance of hormones – specifically, prostaglandins – is said to be the cause of painful periods.
In addition, if you have excess estrogen without sufficient progesterone to balance it out, this can also increase your likelihood of having menstrual pain.
And in order to correct any of the above hormonal imbalances, it’s important to have a healthy liver.
This is because your liver filters your blood and removes agents (like excess hormones and other hormone disruptors).
And it turns out that cloves can help with this! In fact, animal studies show that clove oil:
- lowers inflammation and oxidative stress, while also improving liver function. These results are when using mixtures that contain clove oil or just a eugenol extract.
- reverses the signs of liver cirrhosis (damage that causes the liver to scar and potentially, fails).
These animal studies suggest that cloves can boost liver function and reverse some liver damage.
And that’s all good news for the detoxification work that is needed for hormone balance.
3. Fights Off Candida and Supports Gut Health
Research shows that clove has powerful antifungal and antiparasitic properties.
In fact, when it comes to killing off a fungus-like candida, clove is just as effective as nystatin (a drug used to treat yeast infections).
This antifungal ability is a huge plus because too much candida contributes to the leaky gut syndrome.
And since a healthy gut is essential for hormone balance, that means a healthy gut is also essential for relieving period cramps.
Furthermore, clove is also effective at killing intestinal parasites (which are another life-sucking contributor to gut issues!).
4. High in Antioxidants
Aside from eugenol, cloves contain other antioxidants that make it one of the most helpful herbs for fighting off inflammation.
The best way to get some perspective on clove’s antioxidant content is to compare it to blueberries:
- blueberries are one of the most antioxidant-rich foods we can eat.
- yet, when compared with cloves, cloves have 30 times more antioxidants per gram!
Now, that’s the type of antioxidant content that can be a great ally for inflammatory conditions like menstrual cramps.
HOW TO USE CLOVE OIL FOR MENSTRUAL PAIN
Massaging clove oil onto your lower abdomen allows you to quickly soothe any cramping that occurs with your period.
However, there are some important safety precautions to keep in mind when using clove oil topically:
- Clove is a known skin irritant. So, never apply it undiluted to your skin. Instead, it should always be diluted in a carrier oil like almond or coconut oil.
- Because clove oil is very strong, it’s recommended that you don’t exceed a 0.5% dilution. Basically, this means that when you mix clove oil with your carrier oil, 95.5% of the mix should be carrier oil and no more than 0.5% of it should be clove. If clove doesn’t irritate your skin, you can use more, but do so very cautiously.
As for where to get your essential oil, there are 2 brands that I like to order from: Plant Therapy and Eden’s Garden.
Both have very fair prices and excellent quality. And for those times when I absolutely want to order an organic oil, I rely on Plant Therapy (some of their oils are USDA Organic).
To get your oils, here’s a link to Plant Therapy’s clove oil and a link to Eden’s Garden’s clove essential oil.
Now let’s have a look at two recipes that you can use.
Clove Only Menstrual Cramp Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 drops clove oil
- 2 tbsp (30ml) almond (or any other carrier oil of your choice)
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients together and massage onto the lower belly and/or lower back as needed.
Clove, Lavender, and Peppermint Menstrual Cramp Recipe
Lavender and peppermint are two oils that help with menstrual pain and also smell great when combined with clove.
Ingredients
- 13 drops lavender
- 10 drops peppermint
- 4 drops clove oil
- 2 tbsp almond (or any other carrier oil of your choice)
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients together and massage onto the lower belly as needed (you can also apply it to the lower back area).
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHEN USING CLOVES FOR PERIOD PAIN
Cloves are a very potent natural remedy that yields great results…as long as it’s used correctly.
So, before using cloves in high doses, keep the following precautions in mind.
- It can interact with other pain medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. Therefore, it’s best to check with your doctor before combining cloves with other pain meds.
- Cloves can slow blood clotting. So, be careful using it before surgery or if you have severe bleeding disorders. Also, if you’re on blood thinning medication, check with your doctor before using lots of cloves.
- Avoid ingesting clove oil unless you’re under the supervision of an aromatherapist or a health care provider who is well-versed in aromatherapy.
