Breaking the ‘Curse’ of Menstruation: Celebrating a Woman’s Cycle with the Support of Cannabis
Art Courtesy of Casey Renteria
We live in a funny world where both menstruation and cannabis have been ridiculed and persecuted for centuries. Each topic is considered taboo, off the table, discussed in secrecy, as both can make people feel uncomfortable so “let’s just hide it!” Both areas of concern have been labeled as bad, indecent, dirty, and unclean.
Demonizing Menses and Cannabis
Religious doctrine and beliefs have sequestered women from society and labeled them as second-class citizens identifying a woman’s cycle as holy and mystical on one hand and on the next, shunned, ‘cursed’ and untouchable.
For example, Jewish women were sent to the tent for their menses as they were considered unclean. They could not touch a man or any property in their home as it would contaminate him and each item.
Is it any wonder that confusion about our bodies and the shame experienced by women around their cycle is raw and palpable?
The miseducation, misinformation, and social programming have removed the beauty of a natural hormonal process of a woman that is life-giving. The time has come to celebrate the amazing biology of the female body, to support our female travelers on this road called life and to relish a woman’s ability to create life.
In tandem, marijuana as a unique plant provides healing properties to any mammal (women are mammals) yet this plant has been discredited and put in question. The propaganda has been very effective in hiding the truth.
It is time to address the disparities and start the discussion around the value of cannabis in the management of painful menstrual cycles, also called dysmenorrhea, as many of us have women in our lives who are needlessly suffering.
The History of Menstruation and Cannabis
The landscape of women’s health and cannabis has spanned centuries dating back to ancient China and Egypt into the 19th century with Western Medicine reporting its use to relieve menstrual pain and aiding in childbirth.
Both the Vikings and medieval Germany used cannabis to relieve childbirth pain per Dr. Warf, a professor of geography at the University of Kansas. Recorded history was completed by male scribes who did not mention menstruation at all in the historical narrative at the time.
However, in time history recorded a wealth of anecdotal uses for this amazing plant’s ability to improve one’s quality of life. Nomadic travelers who circumnavigated the globe used oral history to communicate the value of cannabis for recreational and medicinal usage. Historic narratives support the ancient use and application of this plant dating back to prehistoric times, 5,000 years ago.
The Necessity of the Period
Menstruation in a young woman’s life is a physiological signal she can now
reproduce, create a baby, and be a mother. The buildup of blood in the uterine wall is for the implantation of the ova so a viable baby can have nourishment to grow. If a baby is not conceived, the lining of the uterus must shed, therefore, menstruation occurs.
For some young ladies they are in so much pain this initiation is not welcomed but survived. Why survived you may ask? Because women have been told to suffer in silence with their menses. But those of us with a woman in our lives with intense cyclic pain ask ourselves, “How can I minimize their discomfort and pain?”
Painful menses for some women is viewed as a monthly curse, as something to be endured. So, assisting ladies in this transition and monthly experience is critical to quality of life. Cannabis holds an answer to alleviating the pain, discomfort, and anxiety of totally embracing what it means to be a woman.
Cannabis Tools for Menstruation
The tools below are not supported in research with the standard clinical trial, placebo-controlled randomization, so the jury is out on the effectiveness of cannabis as a reliable treatment for menstrual pain.
However, women’s quality of life is the issue at hand and the relief of pain is paramount. To be honest, men have been at the forefront of most of the research, women have not. Research results done to men have been generalized to apply to women as well. Current management with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and contraception is not the only answer. A natural remedy is necessary to get the women we love in our lives back in circulation so the world at large can benefit from their unique contribution.
Cannabis for Period Pain
In a research study involving women coming into a clinic for abortions, a survey assessed the use of cannabis for pain relief. 88% percent of respondents, out of 192 participants, reported cannabis helped relieve their menstrual cramps pre-abortion and with the pain post-abortion.
Pain is the most prevalent reason and most research-backed benefit of cannabis. As seen in a 2015 review of 28 clinical trials concluding that there was “moderate quality evidence “to support its use in chronic pain.
More importantly, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated in 2017 that “there is conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults.”
Biohacking Mensuration with Cannabis
The cannabis methods below, for supporting pain relief in the female reproductive tract, are biohacking tools.
Biohacking is a word to describe individuals who seek to make small subtle changes to their body, food intake, and lifestyle to improve one’s current state of health and functioning.
Using a therapy, a new supplement, or following a special diet each requires patient monitoring and course-correcting based on the body’s response. Cannabis is one such tool in one’s health bucket to enhance, support, and alleviate unwanted symptoms.
Consider Alternative Forms of Dosing
The most popular method for cannabis ingestion is smoking; however, other methods of use exist that may be more effective in the long run for pain cessation. Every individual needs to experiment to see which method is most effective for both short-term and long-term pain relief.
The problem with smoking cannabis is the effects only last one to three hours which is considered short-term pain relief. There are other forms of cannabis that bring longer pain relief benefits during menses like oil directly applied to the area of injury or discomfort or consuming an edible. However, in today’s market, many methods of delivery exist for cannabis consumption.
In addition, the identification of unique cannabinoids such as CBD, CBC, CBG, and CBN are new players in one’s arsenal of possibilities for pain management and fluid retention. These cannabinoids can be used preventively to control the reentry and resurgence of symptoms so the intensity and length of discomfort are less. Below are possible biohacking tools in medical cannabis you can use to reduce painful menses and associated symptoms.
4 Methods of Cannabis Consumption to Help with Periods
Liquid CBD/THC on tampons (consider intimacy oils pre-packaged and available)
Directly applied to a tampon and inserted into the vagina so the liquid touches the cervix and brings anti-inflammation and pain relief.
CBG preventatively for cramps and uterine contractions (edibles and tincture)
This relatively new cannabinoid packs a punch with migraine pain and tight muscles.
This also includes uterine cramps and their associated pain.
THC butter (for women over 20 years old)
Continually stoking the endocannabinoid system (ECS) with periodic infusion of cannabis is critical, making cannabis in butter is the answer.
Food is medicine and ingesting a small amount in butter over time will help to stimulate this critical chemical system in the body, so pain is alleviated.
The hope is over time less intense cramps and less disruption in normal activities of daily life when the menstrual cycle occurs.
Rick Simpson Oil Suppositories for severe menstrual cramps and endometriosis.
Full-spectrum Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) helps relieve severe menstrual cramps made in the comfort of one’s home and inserted vaginally in suppository form.
The vaginal track has numerous receptors for several cannabinoids including both psychoactive and non-psychoactive chemical substances.
Embracing Cannabis for Menstruation
The time is now to reclaim our feminine power because our biochemistry is a woman’s superpower.
Even though research is lagging in this area of interest, there are robust testimonials to support the role of cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) in helping relieve the pain of menses. Research is catching up on the additional cannabinoids that have been identified such as CBC, CBG, and CBN; the jury is out on each of their effectiveness in pain management and symptom relief in menstruating women.
Back in the late 1800s Queen Victoria’s personal physician Sir J. Russell Reynolds, prescribed cannabis for relief of her menstrual cramps. The treatment of ‘women’s unmentionable ills’ is now a fashionable conversation among women as quality of life is everything. Back in the day, it was taboo.
The openness and availability of cannabis and its unique chemical properties make this natural substance a game changer with few side effects like pharmaceutical medications. Women do not need to suffer any longer around their cycle dates, instead, they need to be productive human beings who continue to contribute to the world with their amazing talent and skills.