I don’t think I’ve ever known someone who hasn’t complained about their period. For as much as menstruation is a brilliant, natural occurrence, it is also, as many of us know, an inconvenient pain. Finding ways to manage our periods isn’t always easy, particularly if you want to go down the natural route.
Nature’s Antidote have created an herbal blend, Yoni, designed to ease you through the menstrual cycle, from reducing painful cramps, cravings and helping balance your mood.
The word Yoni is a Sanskrit word, which translates to mean the female sexual organs, womb, vagina and uterus. In Indian tradition, Yoni is referred to as the source of life, a ‘space of healing, wisdom and creation.’
Menstruation is widely regarded as a sacred time, and Yoni was created for us to ‘reconnect with our cycles’ using traditional herbs to support and nourish our bodies through, let’s face it, a pretty stressful time.
What’s inside?
Yoni is a careful blend of medicinal herbs, each one included to serve a certain purpose:
- Nettle: Restores iron balance.
- Yarrow: Relieves cramps and provides pain relief.
- Raspberry Leaf: Relieves cramps.
- Shatavari: Anti-inflammatory, supports the reproductive and digestive system and balances hormones.
- Chaga Extract: Also known as the ‘King of Mushrooms’, it delivers antioxidants that help boost your immune system.
- Ginger: Relieves cramp, pain relief and anti-inflammatory.
- Cinnamon: Helps to reduce cravings.
- Lucuma: Lowers blood sugar and helps to reduce cravings.
It’s recommended to integrate Yoni into your routine one week before menstruation or ovulation, so that your body has time to cultivate the benefits. As a fine herbal blend, you can stir it into porridge, or drink it as a tea or latte.
First impressions
Straight off the bat, it tastes lovely. Herbal blends can sometimes be on the bitter side, I’m aware, but thanks to the ginger and cinnamon, Yoni is warming and slightly sweet. Making it with milk (plant based is recommended) gives a chai sort of feel and since its caffeine free, works really well integrated into your evening rituals. Being now off my period, I sort of miss winding down with it in the evening.
My period is very irregular, I don’t take any birth control and try to keep up with it as best I can with a tracking app, but for the most part, it never arrives when I think it will. I started Yoni just after my app predicated that ovulation had finished, about two weeks before my predicted period. Just in case Aunt Flo decided to play loose with her timing again. In the first week or two before my period (PMS) is always the worst time for me anyway, with unbalanced hormones making me crabby, emotional and wholly dependent of jars of chocolate spread.
The week before
It’s during the week before menstruation where I consume vast amounts of sweet and salty food, lose my temper at the drop of a pin and cry if I stub my toe.
Now obviously, we can’t completely eradicate PMS symptoms, we have hormones and emotions, but I did notice that they weren’t as extreme as usual. I got annoyed and upset, sure I’m only human, but when usually they spiral out of my control, this was manageable. It helped me feel like it was any other week of the month. I have it on good authority from my mother that I was generally nicer than usual, so that’s a plus. Overall, I was more in control of my emotions, not beholden to some angry thing living in my uterus spitting our hatred at people for walking to slow or breathing to loud (I’m nicer than this makes me sounds, honest).
Craving wise, the jar of chocolate spread in my kitchen that I got before my period is still half-full, which is new. I had hankerings for something sweet, something salty, every now and then, but again, manageable. I didn’t feel the need to head out to the shops and buy something particular. A plus for both my health, and my purse.
Week of period
My period usually announces itself the day before with cramps all around my abdomen and lower back. I can be found sporting a hot water bottle by both my lower back and abdomen. I usually have very bad headaches and spend a lot of time shut up in my room. So, despite the fact that my period came in the middle of having a guest over for lunch, it wasn’t badly received. My cramps were easy, my headaches there, but no worse than usual, and overall, I felt in control of my body. Connected, as the product sets out to achieve, to my cycle, rather than dreading and suffering all through it.
Yoni does not miraculously cure you of your menstrual symptoms, but why should it? Periods are brilliant, and I don’t care what the scientists say, there is something other worldly about them sometimes. What Yoni did do was help me feel in control of my body and emotions. I wasn’t falling victim to all the mood swings and pain; I was working with my body.
Overall
Periods will never be enjoyable, not for me, and my appreciation and admiration of what the female body can do only really goes so far, especially with the aforementioned hot water bottle scenario before, and it’s worth noting that my symptoms have never been too dreadful, I know that some of you out there can have particularly severe cramping or migraines. But on the whole, feeling connected and in control of it all means I’m not sitting here dreading my next menstruation. My body feels healthy and I was still pleasant to be around, so overall, I can’t rate it highly enough. If you’re looking for a natural way to be in touch with your body during menstruation and ease your aches and pains, give Yoni a go. It tastes good, does good and helps you feel good. I definitely recommend starting to take it a good week or two before, to really let your body get used to, and make the most of, the wonderful herbs.
Nature’s Antidote sources organic and sustainable ingredients for its products. Plus, a percentage of profits supporting the Kayapo Indians protecting the rainforest. Find out more about the company here and more articles from us on holistic healing here!
And as last time, if you want to try any of Nature’s Antidotes product the code selfishdarling will give you 20% off your purchase.
Seize power over your periods, Darlings.
