What is an emmenagogue?
An emmenagogue is a herb or plant material which stimulates blood flow from the uterus. The strongest of them will help stimulate and regulate menstrual flow such as in hormonal disorders or those who suffer from irregular or light menses. The strongest can also be considered arbortificents which may well stimulate a miscarriage so they should be used with attention and care although you would have to ingest a very large quantity to induce a miscarriage. Emmenagogues should never be used whilst pregnant for obvious reasons.
Each of the herbs is generally made into a tea and drunk a couple of times each day for ten days then ten days rest. None of them are particularly tasty if you ask me but it isn’t the taste that you are seeking but the natural chemical constituents of the plant that have the required action.
It is perfectly acceptable to add things to a tea made from any of the herbs though. Most people will sweeten the tea to improve its flavour but the addition of vanilla or liquorice are both perfect to improve flavour. Dried or fresh Orange or Lemon (or any citrus to tell you the truth) peel is also a great addition to improve the flavour. Don’t add a soft drink or alcohol though – neither will disguise or improve the flavour and the alcohol may well damage the constituents.
Each listing is shown by considered strength
The following is a list of herbal material, each of which is classed as an Emmenagogue:-
Yarrow Herb (Cut) – Achillea millefolium
Considered Mild
Feverfew Herb (Cut) – Tanacetum parthenium
Considered Mild
Black Cohosh Root (Cut) – Actaea racemosa
Considered Medium
Rosemary – Rosemarinus officinalis
Considered Mild
Pennyroyal – Mentha pelegium
Considered Very Strong
Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris
Considered Medium
Juniper- Juniperus communis
Considered Medium
Savine – Juniperus sabina
Considered Very Strong
Rue – Ruta graveolens
Considered Strong
Tansy – Tanetectum vulgare
Considered Very Strong
Blue Cohosh – Caulophylum thalictroides
Considered Very Strong
These are really only a small selection of the herbs which are considered to be Emmenagogues – there are many more and, of course, like any product, whether it be pharmaceutical or herbal, what suits you may not suit someone else so it really is a question of trial and error to find the right one for your condition.
Save
Save