And Eight Holistic Ways to Listen

Let's start with something radical.

Your PMS is not a malfunction.

It is not your body betraying you, being dramatic or making your life difficult for no reason. It is not something to be suppressed, pushed through or medicated into silence.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the premenstrual phase — your Inner Autumn — is one of the most diagnostically rich times of your entire cycle. Every symptom that surfaces in the week or two before your bleed is a message from your body about what has been accumulating, suppressed or left unaddressed in the weeks before.

Irritability? Your liver is asking for more flow and less stagnation.
Bloating? Your spleen is struggling with dampness and digestive load.
Anxiety and poor sleep? Your heart and kidney connection needs support.
Breast tenderness? Liver Qi is stagnating and needs to move.
Fatigue? Your kidney Yang is depleted and asking for rest.

PMS is not the problem. It is the signal.

And once you learn to read it — really read it — everything changes.

Eight holistic remedies rooted in TCM

🍵 1. Herbal teas — medicine in a mug

In TCM, warming, soothing teas are some of the most accessible and effective tools for premenstrual support.

• Chamomile — calms the nervous system, soothes liver tension, reduces anxiety and promotes sleep. Perfect for the emotional volatility of Inner Autumn.

• Ginger — warming, Yang-building, anti-inflammatory. Moves stagnant Qi and Blood, reduces cramping and supports digestion.

• Peppermint — cooling and Qi-moving, excellent for bloating and digestive discomfort.

• Raspberry leaf — a uterine tonic that has been used for centuries to tone the uterine muscles and ease premenstrual cramping.

Make a simple blend of chamomile, ginger and raspberry leaf and drink it warm every evening in your Inner Autumn phase. Your liver and nervous system will thank you.

🌿 2. Magnesium — the mineral your luteal phase craves

Magnesium is one of the most important and most commonly deficient minerals for women with PMS — and in TCM terms it supports the smooth flow of Qi, calms the nervous system and relaxes the muscles that create cramping.

Food sources: dark leafy greens, almonds, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate (yes, really — your body knows what it's asking for!), black beans and avocado.

If your PMS is significant, a magnesium glycinate supplement in the evenings during your luteal phase can make a profound difference — particularly for sleep, anxiety and muscle tension. Always check with your healthcare provider first.

🌸 3. Essential oils — aromatherapy as TCM

Scent works directly on the limbic system — the emotional centre of the brain — bypassing the thinking mind and creating physiological change almost immediately.

In TCM terms, aromatherapy supports the Shen — the spirit of the heart — and can directly address the emotional aspects of PMS that feel impossible to reason your way through.

• Lavender — calms the nervous system, supports sleep, reduces anxiety

• Clary sage — balances oestrogen, reduces cramping, lifts mood

• Rose — nourishes the heart, soothes grief and emotional heaviness

• Frankincense — grounds the nervous system, deepens breath

Diffuse in the evenings, add to a warm bath or dilute in a carrier oil for a gentle self-massage over the lower abdomen and lower back.

🧘 4. Yin yoga for your Inner Autumn

Gentle yoga during your premenstrual phase is not just nice — it is genuinely therapeutic.

In TCM, the poses that support the liver and kidney meridians are particularly powerful in the luteal phase — releasing stagnation, encouraging flow and calming the nervous system.

My favourites for PMS:

• Child's Pose — releases lower back and sacral tension, calms the nervous system

• Supta Baddha Konasana (reclined butterfly) — opens the hips and lower abdomen, supports the liver meridian

• Legs Up the Wall — reverses the downward flow of energy, reduces pelvic congestion

• Supine Twist — wrings out the liver and digestive organs, releases tension

My YouTube channel has practices specifically designed for your Inner Autumn phase — all free:
🎥 Autumn yoga practices on YouTube →

🥗 5. Eat for your luteal phase

What you eat in your Inner Autumn directly affects how your PMS manifests. In TCM, the focus is on supporting the liver, nourishing the blood and reducing dampness.

Prioritise:

• Warm, cooked foods — raw and cold foods tax the Spleen in this phase

• Dark leafy greens — liver-supporting, blood-building

• Beetroot, carrots, sweet potato — blood-nourishing

• Healthy fats — avocado, oily fish, flaxseeds — anti-inflammatory and hormone-balancing

• Complex carbohydrates — support serotonin production and reduce mood dips

Reduce:

• Sugar — destabilises blood sugar and worsens mood swings dramatically

• Caffeine — aggravates liver Heat and worsens anxiety and breast tenderness

• Alcohol — significant liver burden, worsens all PMS symptoms

• Cold and raw foods — create Dampness and worsen bloating

💆 6. Acupressure — TCM in your own hands

You don't need an acupuncturist to benefit from TCM pressure point work — though if you can access one, acupuncture for PMS has excellent evidence behind it.

For self-treatment, these points are particularly helpful:

• Liver 3 (Tai Chong) — between the first and second toe, about two finger widths up. Press firmly for 30 seconds each side. The most important point for liver Qi stagnation — the root of most PMS.

• Spleen 6 (San Yin Jiao) — four finger widths above the inner ankle. Supports all three yin meridians — liver, spleen and kidney. Caution: avoid in pregnancy.

• Pericardium 6 (Nei Guan) — three finger widths above the inner wrist crease. Calms the heart, reduces nausea and anxiety.

Apply steady, firm pressure for 30-60 seconds, breathe slowly and notice what shifts.

🌬️ 7. Breathwork and stress reduction

Stress is the single biggest amplifier of PMS symptoms — and in TCM, chronic stress is the primary cause of the Liver Qi Stagnation that underlies most premenstrual patterns.

Even five minutes of slow, exhale-focused breathing in your Inner Autumn phase directly lowers cortisol, soothes the liver meridian and shifts your nervous system out of fight-or-flight.

Try 4-7-8 breathing: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. The extended exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system almost immediately.

The Womb Wisdom Reflection practice in She Thrives™ is also a beautiful daily stress release tool during this phase — guided prompts, gratitude and gentle release work, all in your pocket.

🌙 She Thrives™ — free:
whitebranches.co.uk/she-thrives

💧 8. Hydration — more important than you think

In TCM, the kidneys govern water metabolism — and kidney health is foundational to reproductive health. Dehydration in the luteal phase worsens bloating paradoxically (the body holds water when it's not getting enough), increases fatigue and amplifies pain.

Aim for warm or room temperature water — cold water taxes the Spleen and worsens cramping in TCM. Add electrolytes if needed — coconut water is a gentle, natural option.

Hydrating foods: cucumber, watermelon, celery, courgette — all kidney-supporting and cooling.

The thread connecting all eight

Every single one of these remedies works in the same direction — reducing stagnation, supporting flow, calming the nervous system and nourishing the systems that your Inner Autumn is asking you to tend.

PMS is not random. It is patterned. And once you understand your pattern — the specific combination of symptoms that surfaces for you in your luteal phase — you can address it with precision rather than guessing.

That's exactly what the free quiz is designed to help you do.

🎯 Find your unique pattern — free quiz:
whitebranches.co.uk/quiz

🌙 She Thrives™ — track your luteal phase symptoms daily:
whitebranches.co.uk/she-thrives

📞 Book a free Discovery Call:
whitebranches.co.uk/discovery

🧡 BHR Collective™ — first month free:
whitebranches.co.uk/collective

Suzanne J Lawson is a holistic wellness practitioner, TCM-informed yoga therapist, reflexologist, reiki master and published author. Find free Autumn phase yoga practices on YouTube at youtube.com/@wellnesstowomb 🌿