Want to Delay My Period for the Holiday Trip

Dear Editor,

My period is due to come right in the middle of our holiday trip to visit family. Is there any way I can take an herb to delay this from happening? - Em

Dear Em,

I would suggest using "Squaw Mint" Latin Name - (hedeoma pulegiodes) . This is also known as Pennyroyal.

Preparation and Dosage are as follows:
Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried leaves and let infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day. Tincture: take 1-2 ml of the tincture three times a day.

A word of caution - don't do this too often - messing with the flow of nature too frequently is what causes illness. Also, start with the lowest dose (ONE CUP A DAY) and only move up to the full dose if you feel you need more.

However, don't be afraid to use this "trick" every once in a while. Pennyroyal has gotten a bad name since some badly informed people actually used the STRAIGHT (yikes!!!) essential oil on their skin and actually drank some of the essential oil (this is akin to consuming like a whole bush of it) - of course the result was not good. However, the HERB pennyroyal in appropriate dosages is safe.

Michael Moore, in the same (above) reference, also has this to say:
Pennyroyal has been a much maligned herb in recent years, partially because the essential oil has been used as a potential abortifacient (highly dangerous, with several deaths reported in the literature), partially because of the poor quality of the commercial herb. The tea or tincture has two basic uses. It is a safe and effective diaphoretic to induce sweating with fevers and sick headaches with nausea and red eyes. Further, in suppressed menses from sickness, infection, stress, or exhaustion, either in the current month or the previous month, the tea, taken on the first, second, or third day of normal menses, will stimulatie uterine secretions and, in effect, stimulate uterine sweating. In my opinion, it is not an abortifacient. P. 130.

Hope this helps!

By the way...Pennyroyal is from the mint family and all your gardeners out there know what this means - it will grow like a weed!