Menstruation is an important part of a woman’s life because it prepares her for pregnancy.
However, it becomes a point of pain for the majority of ladies when menstrual cramps set in within the ovulation period. This can weaken the body to the extent where some ladies are unable to walk or participate in other activities.
Most of them rely on painkillers for relief so much that they sometimes develop a tolerance level to the drugs, which compels them to take more, harming their immune systems. They try to find a remedy to ease the pain so that they can go through the period and carry on with their normal activities.
Africans tend to turn to herbal alternatives for treatment instead of their western counterparts. Knowing what plants and dosages to use is crucial when dealing with medicinal plants and herbs. Overcooking or under-cooking too many medicinal plants puts the patient at risk.
Considering the numerous products on the market that claim to cure the pain, some ladies might have tried different types, yet they failed to yield a positive result, making them think that there is no remedy to the situation.
All hope is not lost as clinical experts at the Research Department of the Centre For Plant Medicine Research, Dr Mavis Boakye Yiadom and Dr Emmanuel Opoku Ayeh, have revealed the secret to easing menstrual cramps.
Speaking on Joy Prime‘s Prime Morning show on Tuesday, they revealed that drinking warm water or ginger-infused water is the best way to ease the pain.
“If you’re drinking the warm water, it helps more than just putting it on there and leaving it there because menstrual pain is related to your uterus and the things that happen in there,” Dr Boakye-Yiadom explained.
Instead of putting a warm compress on the abdomen, the clinicians suggested that drinking works faster and more effectively than a hot water bottle. However, when the ginger is overcooked, the nutrients are reduced, making it less effective.
They also emphasised the importance of warm water for home treatment, saying that warm water is the answer to almost all body aches and uneasiness, like sharp stomach pain (dyspepsia). It can also be mixed with other things, like a teaspoon of Grains of Selim (Hwentia in Akan) to soothe an upset stomach and Aidan fruit (known as Prekese in Akan) powder to help with hypertension and high blood pressure.
The experts further outlined other traditional first aid tips for daily domestic accidents. Below is a list of common household items that serve as first aid:
Use salt for burns in the kitchen. Apply a decent amount of salt to the affected area, and wash it away after a few minutes.
Using egg white for burns. Separate the egg yolk from the white and apply the white to the burn immediately.
Using tomatoes to soothe a burn. Rinse the area with cool running water, slice tomatoes, and place them on the affected area.
Aloe vera to soothe a burn. Rinse the area with cool running water, cut open an aloe vera leaf, collect the gel inside, and apply it to the burn.
Boiling ginger for a few minutes and drinking it helps with inflammations like joint pains and menstrual cramps. “Be careful not to overcook it,” according to the experts.
Avocado seed powder is rich in anti-hypercholesterolemia and known for lowering cholesterol levels. A few teaspoons in your soups or stews help boost your immune system.
Cassava peels to stop bleeding. Peel off the husk to reveal the white edible part of the tuber, cut a portion of it, and apply it to the cut with a little pressure to help stop the bleeding.
Plain water for headaches. That’s it! Drinking a big glass of room-temperature water and getting some rest would help relieve your headaches.
Local guava leaves for stomach acid reflux. Boiling about 5 leaves for a few minutes and drinking the content helps to sort out any issues concerning stomach acid reflux.
Warm water for the sharp stomach pain (dyspepsia). Drinking a glass of warm water on an empty stomach will help relieve those pesky, sharp stomach aches.
Ripe or slightly ripe pawpaw for stomach acidity. A ripe or slightly ripe, juicy pawpaw contains papain to lower stomach acidity levels.
Salt solution to disinfect wounds. Using a salt solution to quickly rinse the wound and immediately tying it with a clean cloth or bandage will help disinfect it and stop whatever bleeding there is.
Lippia tea helps reduce stress. For your busy bees, a warm cup of Lippia tea would help release all that pent-up stress and help you relax better.
Statistics from the National Library for Medicine under the National Institute of Health indicate that around 1.8 billion people menstruate every month worldwide, meaning that at a given point each day, 800 million women and girls menstruate, comprising 26% of the global population. About 80% of people experience period cramps in their lifetime, while 5 to 10 percent experience cramps severe enough to interfere with their daily life activities.