The Modern Hippy

     For some strange reason I’m on a menstrual cycle post kick. Rick asked me why. I don’t know, other than there were so many things I didn’t think about. Part of me feels so ignorant, there is so much to be considered with all the chemicals that make our lives convenient – at the same time it seems that they are hurting us and our home.

     A few years ago, during a painful period my mom picked up raspberry leaf tea for me. The box said something about easing cramps etc. I tried brewing it a couple of times, but it tasted horrible. Like drinking brewed evil. So I packed it away for sometime. Eventually I tried it again – when I still didn’t like it I gave it away to my niece.
     Years later here I am again looking for a preventative to cramps. Luckily I’m not in the throws of agony, in fact, if you read Aunt Flow Part 1, you would have discovered that my cycle is not what it was years ago. Nothing is too agonizing, just annoying. That is no reason not to do some research about menstrual aids or tonics – this leads me back to raspberry leaf tea.

     I am now of the opinion that fresh is best. So the freshest raspberry leave tea will not be found in a store, but in my parents back yard. I was out picking raspberries with my parents a couple of days ago and I asked my dad about raspberry leaf tea, if they actually use these “common” leaves for that tea. He said he was pretty sure, he thought it was new growth that they use for the tea, but he wasn’t positive. I did some research on drying and benefits. When I was ready to start plucking he told me which areas were up for grabs.

     “Normal” red raspberry leaves are used in the tea. They are full of vitamins and minerals. One site, The Eclectic Physician , said the leaves are best picked just as the plant begins to flower. There still are flowers on my parents’ bushes, but they are already providing fruit. I didn’t find anything about new growth leaves being used, or the best, but it makes sense that since they are new they would be excellent sources of those vitamins and minerals as well. Also, my dad has a degree in horticulture. He is rarely wrong about things that grow in the ground. In fact I can’t think of a time when he was wrong. Believe me, I try to question everything – he always said ask questions, so I do.

Recipe:

     To make your own fresh tea, pick leaves that you know have not been sprayed. One site recommended drying the leaves first, one used fresh leaves. Crush or mince the leaves. Bring water to a boil, add or pour over leaves and let steep between 5-10 minutes. Strain.
     Because I’m a flavor queen I tried adding a few berries to the mix as well. Nothing wrong with adding more vitamins and a little color to one’s tea. If adding fruit, squish the fruit before adding to the water, or pouring over them – makes sure that all the little sections are broken.
     Rick tried it too and loved it as well!
     *I made the mistake of not mincing the fresh leaves the first time I made tea. It had very little taste and it seems that the leaves were hardly effected. I have made it daily in the last few days, each time slightly differently – Once I simmered the leaves and berries for a few minutes. Then I steeped for a very long time (Forgot about there truthfully). Also, because of the summer heat they are drying out, so I have used varied types of leaves, some wilted, some fresh and some dried.

     What is it about raspberry leaf tea that makes it so good for the ladies?

     It contains vitamins A, E, C and some vitamin B complex. All of which are strengthening to the immune system. Vitamin E promotes circulation and healing. It also contains phosphorus, potassium and calcium. According to Wikipedia larger amounts of calcium is needed to control nerve response in labor. Obviously (at least to me) being calcium, it helps the developing fetus with bone development. In menstruating women that calcium will be used for our bones. Reading about it easing cramps, my guess is the things that make laboring women deal with pain help us deal with our smaller amounts of pain.
From a massage point of view, I know that calcium and potassium are needed for proper muscle function, if you don’t have enough you get cramps. Your lovely, sometimes ambitious, uterus is a muscle that needs those minerals as well. So feed it!
     Most of the annoying problems with pregnancy or a horrible period can be connected to a lack of something, be it calcium or a vitamin.
     The leaves also contain an alkaloid called fragrine which is supposed to tone the muscles in the pelvic region which includes the uterus. The tannins in the red raspberry leaves act as an astringent which soothes inflammation, especially in the digestive tract. Pregnant or menstruating women can have digestive upsets on occasion.

     Hopefully through eating well and supplementing with raspberry leaf tea a menstruating or pregnant woman will be able to better prevent unnecessary pain and discomfort.

My plans:

     After reading all about this magical leaf, I plan on keeping raspberry leaves handy all year round. Now I will probably just use fresh leaves (unless they dry before I use them). However, it would be an excellent idea to dry some leaves to use during the winter, when the garden is sleeping.
     I’m going to pick some new growth leaves and some regular leaves, lay them inside, on the counter or somewhere safe(perhaps in the shade on the deck). I wouldn’t recommend drying them in the sun as it can bake some of the nutrients out. After they are completely dry store them in a glass jar, (one of the many I keep from various store bought delights). It is best to store things away from direct light, so a dark cupboard would work well. Also remember to keep them away from heat, as that will kill some of the nutrients before you turn it into tea. (Yes the raw foodist would argue that once above 160 degrees most of the nutrients are lost, so tea isn’t as good as originally thought.) But teas have shown to be effective, just no reason to give sunlight or heat the chance to leach out the nutrients before being subjected to hot water.
     I will of course take pictures to mark the progression of my tea drying and storing.

     If anyone has dried their own leaves for tea or cooking and have any suggestions, please feel free to share!

     *I have only been drinking this since the first day of my period this time. (It is recommended to start drinking it about a week before to help even more.) I’m feeling pretty good – hardly had any cramps, feel a little less moody, and more awake. I’m convinced to the point where I’m drinking it in 80 degree weather now.

My sources:
http://www.eclecticphysician.com/archive.php?action=Nbr&Nbr=199
http://www.iemily.com/article-468.html
http://konzababy.tripod.com/RRL.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_raspberry_leaf
http://www.localharvest.org/red-raspberry-leaf-tea-C6483

     Guys beware; this is another menstrual cycle post!

     Last post, Aunt Flow Part 1, last period I wrote about going off birth control, letting my body regulate itself and how our uncomfortable symptoms shouldn’t be the norm.
     I was super tired for about a week before this time. Dragging my feet up the flight of stairs to our lovely apartment after work every day, even after a four hour day, was tiring. For some reason I didn’t notice that it could be my body’s cycle making me so tired. Since I no longer have my daily pill to take I don’t notice where in the month I am most of the time. Because of that, I don’t always think about the preventative ways to help me feel better.
Preventative ways to easy your crampy, maybe grumpy week are fairly simple.
• Get more iron. Gross as it sounds you will be loosing blood, you need iron or you will feel tired. So if you eat meat, choose red a couple of times. If you don’t, then choose fruits and veggies with higher iron like dark leafy greens such spinach, chard, kale, or raisins. Listen to your body, if you are craving something there might be something you need in it – unless you are craving fast food.
• Go to bed earlier. Sounds simple but your body is tired from hormonal changes, let it do it’s job. Get out of the way.
• Drink raspberry leaf tea. I have a huge post coming about this lovely drink. It’s great, actually recommended for pregnant women to strengthen the uterus. Beneficial for us non-pregos too!
• Stay warm. Pull out your rice pack and heat it up. If you don’t have one, make your own. Rick made me mine, though I have misplaced them in the last two moves. Must find or make new ones.
• Since the cramping is muscular, you need proper nutrition beyond iron. Think calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
• Lastly choose your feminine products well. You want to make sure that what you are using down there won’t hurt you.

Feminine Products

     I know you are all dying to know what I use. Haha. Right. Well, I only recently started using something better. About four periods ago I realized that maybe my tampons and mini pads weren’t the best idea. I had developed a sensitivity to bleach. I knew that the cotton in the tampons was treated with bleach to make it uniform and clean looking. Oh my goodness! Duh! Of course I should not use them. So what do I use now? Are there organic tampons? Should I even use tampons anymore? After some research, I used up all the remaining tampons and switched to organic cotton.
     Since coming off birth control things got a little heavier. I had to have more coverage at night and didn’t want to sleep in a tampon. I picked up Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Ultra Thin Pads with Wings for the nights. I’m not a huge fan. They aren’t cotton – I didn’t realize this when I bought them. I have one left and will try something else soon. I want cotton, that won’t cause any problems for sure. Some of the other things may or may not be irritating.
     The Seventh Generation pads weren’t thin enough for me to use as a back up thinner pad for the days when I wore tampons. (They aren’t thin really.) This time I read slower and picked organic – Natracare cotton panty liners untra thin and tampons regular and super. The day I started using them my lovely lady parts acted with much more grace. Oh yeah, and they are more comfortable. The panty liners don’t use plastic, so there is no poking. No artificial scents to mix with mine to create something evil. The tampons are short and fit much better than even some of the more popular brands.

     On a side note: one thing I find irritating about feminine products is all the waste. The applicator, the wrapping for the applicator, the box that is too big, most of it is unneeded. The “Natracare” products have less waste. The pantiliners are not wrapped individually; they only have the strip to cover the sticky line. They are compostable under the right conditions; however, I’m not going to try that on my porch. That’s a little too hardcore for me now. The tampons do not have an applicator and they are very tightly wrapped in a tiny amount of plastic. Both boxes have very little extra space, so there is very little waste!

     There are some other possibilities for feminine products that I have not used yet. One possibility is the cloth pads. I like the reusability idea. However, that’s more specialty laundry. Of course I’d worry about leaks.
     There are also cups, such as the Moon Cup, that you empty once or twice a day. The Moon Cup does offer non-latex, so that’s cool. They only have to be replaced every couple of years or so – little waste. However, I’d be worried about holding all that stuff inside for several more hours than one is supposed to wear a tampon. Because of money now, I won’t be trying either of these other options for now. If you have any thoughts on them, have tried them or done research, please feel free to share!