In these modern times, over-working, poor diets, and extra stress have become the norm. Unfortunately, according to Ayurveda, these are the very variables that can knock your cycle out of balance.
Traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulas offer great support for a smoother cycle and balancing Apana Vata—a subdosha of Vata responsible for the normal, downward flow of menstruation and elimination.
The following specific Ayurvedic herbs and lifestyle practices can also help remove digestive impurities (ama) and promote hormone balance for a smoother cycle.
Smooth cycle: Ayurvedic herbs for hormone balance
The herbs and minerals in Smooth Cycle help nourish and balance your hormones, emotions, mind, liver, blood, hemoglobin, digestion, bones and fertility.
Combined in precise proportions and prepared properly, these herbs aid the bioavailability and assimilation of vital nutrients. This formulation of herbs creates a synergy—where the collective benefit is much greater than that of isolated, individual herbs. This synergistic power is an important goal in Maharishi Ayurveda formulations. The specific herbs in Smooth Cycle are:
- Asoka Tree, Lodh Tree and Sacred Fig — three of the most famous herbs for feminine health. They help balance the menstrual flow (Apana Vata), hormones and emotions (Sadhaka Pitta).
- Mango Seed, Lodh Tree, Sacred Fig, Sandalwood and Waterlily promote the normal quantity of blood flow.
- Iron (Ferri Sulphuratum) and Mineral Pitch help maintain the proper level of hemoglobin.
Preparing for an easier cycle
Because of the variety of issues and the involvement of so many subdoshas, it is always good to see an Ayurvedic expert to tailor a program to your specific needs. However, here are traditional guidelines for a woman’s monthly cycle:
- Detox: “Keep your body ama-free,” is the first and most important recommendation. Ama results from improper diet, poor digestion and inefficient elimination.
To eliminate toxins from your diet, avoid stimulants such as alcohol, cigarettes and coffee. Stay away from fast food, junk food, leftovers and preservatives. Consume a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, lentils, milk, lassi and fresh cheese such as paneer and ricotta. These fresh and nourishing foods will not only keep your body healthier, but will also be easier on your digestive system.
- Rest: Take it easy during your monthly cycle. Assist your body in purifying. The process will be smoother and more comfortable. Try to rest for at least one day. Turn inward, and try to avoid things that make you upset or worried. Do something you enjoy. Eat light, warm, preferably liquid foods that pacify Vata.
Your digestive fire is weaker during this time, so try not to strain it with heavy foods. Avoid exercise more strenuous than a short walk. Skip your daily massage during the days of your period. In Maharishi Ayurveda we refer to this time of the month as “resting” rather than the “monthly cycle” or “period.” Name and form—take some time off.
- Plan: Prepare ahead. A balanced routine during the entire month will reward you with less discomfort. Follow a balanced daily routine, including going to bed before 10:00 p.m. and getting up at 6:00 a.m. Eat your meals around the same time every day.
- Exercise: Regular moderate exercise improves circulation and metabolism, which are essential for the purification process. Practice deep and easy breathing for increased vitality.
- Abhyanga: Start the day with a full-body massage with Youthful Skin Massage Oil for Women.
- Digestion: Pay attention to your elimination. If you don’t have a bowel movement every day, include cooked prunes and figs in your diet. Cook them with a stewed apple every morning.
Consume more fresh papaya, pomegranate and pineapple to balance hormones and open up the channels of the physiology. Reduce eggplant, bananas, bell peppers, tomatoes and big beans in your diet, because they are considered harder to digest and can cause ama build-up.
Ayurvedic herbs for hormones
Take advantage of the power of Ayurvedic herbs to assist your period. Besides the Smooth Cycle formula, try taking Organic Genitrac tablets daily to help cleanse and support the genitourinary tract. If you’re feeling sluggish, dull or occasionally constipated, chances are that toxins are building up in your body.
Toxins accumulate when your digestion—and elimination—are out of balance, which can lead to skin breakouts, menstrual cramps, fatigue, feelings of sadness and many other health issues.To support regular elimination and daily overnight detox, add Organic Triphala Rose to your daily routine.
If you experience anger or mood swings, the Blissful Joy tablets and Blissful Heart Aroma Oil can help. If you are under a lot of mental stress, or your resistance to stress is low, take Worry Free tablets and Tea regularly, complemented by Worry Free Aroma Oil.
Additionally, use the following spice mix when you cook to balance your cycle. Mix 6 parts fennel, 1 part black cumin, 1 part cumin, 6 parts coriander, 1 part turmeric and 1 part black pepper. Sauté the mix in ghee and add it to your meals.
Lifestyle matters: regular maintenance for a smoother cycle
Three key principles to long-term menstrual balance and wellness in Ayurveda can be broadly summed up in three lifestyle tactics:
- Reducing toxins (ama)
- Balancing/strengthening digestion (agni)
- Significantly lowering stress
Each of these choices has the power to gradually, naturally support and restore balance in mind and body. These lifestyle choices include changes to diet; stress reduction practices like yoga, exercise and meditation; and traditional Ayurvedic herbals, to name just a few.
Digestion is a central long-term, priority focus of Ayurveda. Great emphasis is placed on keeping digestion (agni) balanced. In this sense, “balance” means functioning at its absolute optimum. That’s because digestion is the engine of transformation and assimilation.
This transformation “engine” isn’t found just in the stomach—it’s also found in every cell in the body. It is an extremely intelligent engine, too. It transforms and metabolizes food nutrients and food intelligence into you, and selects out that which isn’t useful to the body and mind.
Depending on the strength of agni, the “transformation engine,” either toxins (ama) or ojas (the beneficial biochemical of balance) will be created. Ojas is the finest and most-valued by-product of digestion in ayurveda, supporting immunity, happiness, the feeling of connectivity (union or yoga) and emotional stability.
Additional Ayurvedic herbals are very helpful for not only restoring hormone health and a smoother cycle—but also whole-body wellness.
Helpful herbs for women’s health & whole-body wellness
Sleep
Deep Rest supports sleeping deeply through the night and waking up feeling refreshed. Specifically, the formula is for those who have difficulty staying asleep and wake up in the middle of the night. It also helps those who have difficulty falling asleep and those who awaken early, after less than six hours of sleep.
Sleeping soundly is considered a vital tool for balance in Ayurveda, because it both refreshes the nervous system and purifies (detoxes) the entire body nightly. Proper sleep during the optimal hours for sleep is a powerful tool for smoother cycles.
The inability to fall asleep naturally is largely due to stress, frustration, heavy food and sensory overload. If you’re worried or agitated before bed, your mind stays connected to the senses, keeping them active. When that happens you may have trouble falling asleep—or if you do fall asleep, you may notice that your sleep is light and restless.
When your mind is relaxed, and disconnects from the senses, that sleep is sound and deep. The Ayurvedic herbs in Blissful Sleep produce a calming, balancing effect on the body, mind and emotions. Sleep becomes deeper and more restful.
Emotions
Stress Free Emotions supports natural resistance to emotional stress and fatigue. Diet, daily habits and ongoing stress are key factors that can contribute to imbalances in mind and body, leading to feelings of sadness and physical fatigue.
The herbs promote self-confidence, positive thinking and feelings of fulfillment by balancing the subdosha of Pitta that governs emotional health (Sadhaka Pitta).
Energy
Organic Premium Amla Berry is prepared according to the ancient Ayurvedic texts—a 21-step process at a temperature below 90 °F to maintain the potency. Gram for gram, Amla has 20 times the Vitamin C content of an orange. Amla produces total health benefits. It helps strengthen the mind, eyes, heart, skin, and digestion; boosts cellular regeneration; and promotes a positive nitrogen balance for improved growth of muscle tissue.
Bone Health
According to Maharishi Ayurveda, it’s not enough to take calcium supplements. You also need to be able to absorb and assimilate the calcium. That's why Calcium Support supplies your body with over 600 mg of bioavailable calcium a day—and at the same time supports your body’s ability to absorb calcium from supplements and the foods you eat.
Women’s Health
- Hot Flash Relief: Hot Flash Relief tablets contain a mixture of herbs that pacify Pitta dosha (fire element) in the deeper tissues of the body. According to Ayurveda, hot flashes occur when heat transfer in the body becomes irregular because of clogged channels.
This formula helps clear the channels and helps maintain heat regulation in the body. The herbs balance the 13 agnis (fires) in the physiology and nurture the connection between mind and body and mind and heart.
- Vital Lady: Career, housework, family—if you’re like most women today, you’re under stress. It can be difficult just to make it through the day, let alone excel. But don’t sell yourself short. The 28 powerful Ayurvedic ingredients in Vital Lady herbal formula work synergistically to support your mind, body and spirit so you’ll feel composed on the inside and dynamic on the outside.
Specially targeted for the female nervous system, this formula helps revitalize the seven types of body tissue; supports cellular regeneration; helps balance hormones and emotions; and promotes healthy digestion, elimination and purification.
- Rejuvenation for Ladies: Rejuvenate your cells and build a more youthful body. The cells in your body are continually being replaced by new ones, but this process deteriorates with age. The body’s organs and tissues are less vital than they once were, which causes premature aging. Rejuvenation for Ladies helps restore that youthful glow.
It promotes cellular regeneration, which slows both biological and psychological aging. The benefits continue to grow and accumulate over time. This formula is especially helpful during the years before menopause. It nourishes the blood, bones, and bone marrow — which have to be replenished constantly for an easy, natural menstrual cycle.
- Midlife for Women I: Are you experiencing early signs of menopause—occasional hot flashes, mood swings, sleep problems—even before it has begun? You’ll be comforted to know that there is a natural way to address these issues. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, menopause is not a disease; it’s a natural progression from your childbearing years. Yet if this is true, what causes such uncomfortable problems?
Accumulated toxins can prevent your body from adjusting to the hormonal changes of midlife. The key to a comfortable, easy transition is to cleanse the body of impurities that can build up before and during menopause. It’s these accumulated toxins that lead to the uncomfortable experiences—and the more serious consequences, such as loss of bone density—that most women accept as a normal part of menopause.
- Midlife for Women II: If, during menopause, you’re experiencing occasional hot flashes, mood swings, sleeping problems, memory issues, vaginal dryness or other menopause-related issues, you may not know where to turn.
According to Maharishi Ayurveda, menopause is not an illness, but a natural transition. If you’re suffering with menopausal issues, it’s due to imbalances in the physiology. Simple lifestyle and dietary changes, along with our midlife herbal formulas, can help promote a healthy transition through menopause that’s smooth and easy.
In Ayurveda’s view, the monthly cycle is meant to go smoothly. However, overloaded schedules too common in today’s fast-paced world, along with toxins can easily throw menstruation off balance and cause problems. Luckily, the wisdom of Ayurveda provides many helpful herbs and lifestyle practices to help you stay balanced. Dive deeper into the Ayurvedic take on women’s health for greater ease and long-term balance.
