Herbal Protocol for Endometriosis
Today's blog post is on a disorder near and dear to my heart, Endometriosis. It is one I have had and dealt with since I was 19 years old. The implications of it have been devastating at times for me and ultimately ended up in me having a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy (my tubes removed). Despite that, I still deal with it and its reoccurring issues, though not as often as before. It is well managed and dare I say completely healed, thanks to my herbal regimen and lifestyle and mindset transformations. It went from being a 24/7/365 deal to a once every couple months deal. It is much more manageable now than it ever was before.
Below, I will detail how herbs can help manage this condition and help one live a more full life, while also having endometriosis. It is a condition that is highly misdiagnosed and overwhelmingly ignored by the medical community. Women are dismissed frequently as drama queens and hysterical individuals when attempting to describe the incredible amount of pain they are enduring. Many are also pushed away as "drug seekers" for asking for relief from the non stop pain. I found great relief with herbs and supplements and other means and ultimately I believe that's why I was able to wait as long as I did before having a hysterectomy.
So get your notebook ready, because this blog post has a lot to unpack.
Endometriois is a condition affecting anyone with an uterus where the endometrial tissue (the tissue that usually lines the inside of the uterus) migrates from the inside of the uterus to the outside. This tissue can attach to anywhere within the abdominal cavity and some have even been found to have had endometrial tissue migrate to their diaphragm and lungs! When their menstrual cycle starts each month, this tissue undergoes the same process as all endometrial tissue. The hormones that act upon the endometrial tissue and tell it to shed, also act on the stray tissue. This causes intense and debilitating pain. The working theory is that this tissue strays from its normal place via the lymphatic system or blood vessels. One theory even suggests that it is actually coelomic cells that transform into endometrial cells in a process called coelomic metaplasia. There is also a hereditary link to this disease. So if you have it, there is a very good chance you mother or grandmother have/had it as well.
It is found more often in those of Asian descent, affects women who have children later in life at a higher incidence, and is found in 1/4-1/2 of all individuals with uteruses that experience infertility.
As you can see, this is a disease that can and does lead to a lot of heartache and pain, physically and emotionally.
The symptoms of endometriosis are rather vague, meaning they could be multiple diseases and do not point specifically to endometriosis as the cause. These symptoms include, pelvic pain, pelvic masses (from built up migrated tissues or scar tissue), unusual periods (often irregular and/or heavy), back aches, dysmenorrhea (severe pain during menstrual cycles), constant dull ache in abdomen, pain during intercourse, painful urination, rectal bleeding. As you can see, those symptoms could point to any number of issues occurring, making endometriosis extremely hard to diagnose. To top it all off, endometriosis is not seen on the typical diagnostic tests done for these symptoms, such as ultrasounds and MRI's. The only true way to diagnosis it is via a laproscopic surgical procedure and directly visualizing the tissue that has migrated.
On top of all this, hormonal dysregulation is another issue that many face with this.
When approaching this from a herbalist point of view on how to treat and help get relief, these are the therapeutic actions I reach for and the herbs that assist with each of those.
Hormonal normalizers: One of the first ones I reach for are herbs known to help smooth out imbalances. The main one of those being Agnus castus. This is a great hormonal normalizer for this situation. Others that are good to use are motherwort, liquorice, dong quai, and shatavari.
Uterine Tonics: These are very important as many experience severe periods and these herbs can help soothe the uterus and help reduce heavy periods. The herbs best used for this are yarrow, wild yam, and black cohosh.
Pelvic Circulatory stimulants and decongestants: These help maintain good blood flow and keep the lymph system draining. Many individuals with endometriosis suffer from inflammation in the pelvis and this can help reduce that issue. These herbs include prickly ash, gotu kola, ginger, and hawthorn.
Analgesics: These are very important for symptom relieving management in any blend. I will also usually prescribe an acute pain blend tincture to take as needed for extra relief on especially bad days. These include, ginger, angelica, cayenne in combo with wild yam (which is a specific for endometrial pain), valerian, passion flower, california poppy, or wild lettuce.
Antispasmodics: These help with the painful spasms sometimes caused by the endometrial tissue latching onto the intestines, bladder, or rectum. These herbs include, wild yam, cramp bark, skullcap, and yarrow.
Uterine astringents: An astringent is a herb used to dry up an excess of fluid. In this case they help decrease heavy blood flow during a cycle. These include, lady's mantle, yarrow, agrimony, rehmannia, and bayberry. These are usually combined with a nutritive, which is a herb that helps add nutrients back to the body. As the body can get very depleted during heavy cycles, combining with a nutritive is best practice. These include, raspberry leaf, nettle, oat straw, or alfalfa.
Nervines: These are added for the support needed for the stressful toll this disease takes on the body, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Being told often that the pain you are experiencing isn't that bad or that you are exaggerating it, can be quite stressful on the mental health. These can help reduce some of that stress. These include, oat straw or St. John's wort.
Adaptogens: These are herbs that adapt to what the body needs the most. If under prolonged physical and mental stress these can help support your body and keep your body systems working well under such stress. These include, ashwagandha and panax ginseng.
Hepatics and bitters: These help support a digestive system and liver that usually have havoc wreaked on them from the stress and migrating endometrial tissue. The one most commonly used here is dandelion root.
Externally, I recommend warm compresses of lavender, wild rose, and essential oils of black pepper, ginger, and sweet marjoram. These can be effective pain management additions. Moist heat, like from a water bottle or heating pad, can be very effective as well. Heat gets the blood flowing and the more blood flowing to the area, the better in relieving congestion and helping keep inflammation down, which ultimately helps with pain control.
Since this is usually a long-term approach, these herbs are typically dosed 2-3 times a day via tincture, as that is the easiest way to take herbs over a long period of time. I do usually dose analgesics as warm infusions as that can sometimes increase the pain relief one feels.
I personally used wild yam and maca root, along with pain reducing herbs, like valerian, for my endometriosis at its most severe and it was an amazing relief. I also combined it with exercise, which weirdly would give me hours of pain relief. I believe that was due to the hormones it released which are known to have the ability to dull pain for a few hours.
This is a well rounded approach to this disease and helping you achieve some relief and management over it. I would love to be able to work on a personalized blend for you if you are dealing with endometriosis and helping you achieve some of the relief I still gain from these herbs to this day. If you are interested in working together, fill out the form HERE to start the process to booking a Discovery Call.
Do you have endometriosis? What have you tried that has helped with symptom management and pain relief? Let me know below in the comments. I love to hear from my readers!
Love and Light,
Eir