For all those women who suffer from pms (pre-menstrual syndrome) wild yam root might be an answer. This herb is also known as Mexican wild yam or just wild yam. It is said that wild yam root for menstrual cramps, an irregular period or other forms of period pain is very effective.

So can you take wild yam during your period?

Does wild yam really help pms?

If it really is effective to help with these pms symptoms, how do you take wild yam for pms?

When to take wild yam is also a question many women might be asking.

Before we begin to answer these questions, let’s look at the menstrual cycle and see what pms is and where and how it affects most women. There are many ways of looking at the cycle and many people see the stages very differently. However we will stay with the stages we have presented in other articles. In this presentation there are five stages to the 28-32 day “average” menstrual cycle. Here are those stages and the typical pms symptoms associated with each stage.

Stages of the Menstrual Cycle

Stage 1 Premenstrual Stage: In this stage pre-menstrual syndrome (pms) begins and its symptoms can include breast tenderness before peirod, migraines or headaches, lower back pain, severe cramps, water retention and bloating. Mood swings, depression, panic and anxiety attacks are also a possibility. This stage actually includes stages 2 and 3 as well and can run from 1-2 weeks prior to the bleeding/period stage. This is because in this premenstrual stage, there is the beginning of an increase in the production of estrogen and the woman begins to experience the hormonal imbalance that is the source of all these issues during the menstrual cycle. PMS is basically due to the hormonal imbalance that begins in this stage and lasts until bleeding starts.

Stage 2 Follicular Stage: The second stage is called the follicular stage because in this stage the follicle begins preparation for the development of eggs and the fertilization process for those eggs as it matures. In this stage the lining of the uterus is built up in order to carry the fertilized eggs. Bloating, spasms of the uterus, water retention and severe back pain along with cramping really develop in this stage. Estrogen is produced in great amounts in this stage as this hormonal imbalance begins severe. You can get depressed; have panic attacks or anxiety due to this imbalance. Toward the end of this stage and the beginning of the luteal stage, is the beginning of ovulation.

Stage 3 Luteal Stage: This stage is the beginning of ovulation and some of the pms symptoms lessen a little. Bloating and fluid retention are not as severe in this stage, however they are not gone. In this stage there is a dramatic increase in progesterone and a decrease in estrogen adding to the hormonal imbalance that already exists. Prostaglandins are also produced which lead to an increase in inflammation and the possibility of an increase in pain levels. With ovulation taking place in this stage, it sets up either pregnancy with the fertilization of the egg or the period with the shedding of the non-fertilized egg.

Stage 4 Period/Bleeding Stage: In this stage the body sheds the unfertilized eggs, the excess uterine lining, the excess fluid and blood. There are not a lot of symptoms once this stage begins.

Stage 5 Post Menstrual Stage: For Most women this should be and is an asymptomatic stage. However there are an unfortunately number of women who experience pms symptoms in this post menstrual stage.

So if a woman is experiencing painful cramping, lower back pain and irregular periods how can wild yam help?

What dose of wild yam helps pms?

Is it made into a tincture or as part of a supplement?

We have heard that wild yam cream rubbed onto the breasts will help with the soreness many women experience due to pms.

It is in fact a truth that for centuries women have used herbal medicine to treat many of the symptoms of pms and wild yam root has been used in this way. There are both North American and Chinese versions of the herb and both have been used successfully as a tea, a tincture, pills or a cream. The key to the effectiveness of wild yam root is that it seems to positively affect the hormonal imbalance during menstruation. This is because wild yam contains diosgenin, a substance that is very much like estrogen.

There are actually over 600 different types of wild yam, most of which are inedible. There are only about 12 of these 600 types of wild yam that are edible. Do not confuse this with the yams available in the supermarket as this is an entirely different species of yams.

“According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the plant has been used to treat menstrual cramps, menopause and childbirth pain for about three hundred years. Yet little evidence currently supports using wild yam to treat these or any other disorders, because the human body doesn’t appear to convert diosgenin into hormone-like compounds.” livestrong.com/wild-yam-pms

Wild yam root is actually used more to treat menopause than menstruation over the years. Any studies done have actually centered more on menopause than the menstrual cycle. Wild yam while also acting as a precursor to the development of estrogen, also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent in fighting the effects of those prostaglandins. This then reduces the pain associated with pms. It is also known to relax the uterus and calm uterine spasms.

Women have been known to use creams made from wild yam as a rub for sore and tender breasts. It is actually best to use wild yam in a premade and predosed preparation whether it be a cream, a tea or a pill. This is because it is difficult to know what the right dose is and to make it yourself is even more difficult. There are not a lot of clinical studies to know what the best dose is.

The most common combination for wild yam is to mix it with black cohosh. This is sold as a supplement in pill form and as a topical in crème form. In pill form the most common dose is two 800 mg tablets per day. It is best not to use more than one form of this complex or of wild yam by itself in different formulations. This is because there would be different dosages amongst these products and too much wild yam could have negative side effects.

Perhaps the best combination for wild yam root is in a compound with other vitamins, minerals and herbs in addition to black cohosh. One of the best of these types of complexes is Period Vitamin.

Why?

Because Period Vitamin seems to contain the most complete combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs to deal with the many different symptoms of pms during the weeks prior to a woman’s period beginning. Here are the symptoms that Period Vitamin can impact if taken according to directions.

Period Vitamin is said to combat pms induced headaches and migraines, cramping and abdominal pain. It can reduce fluid retention and the subsequent bloating that not only causing discomfort, it can cause abdominal pain by causing additional pressure on the uterus and pushing it into the pelvis.

Period Vitamin is also said to aid in leveling the mood swings, depression, panic and anxiety attacks often associated with pms.