Believe it or not, Tiger Balm made my period pain disappear in just 30 minutes

My period loves extremes. There are months when I can feature in a sanitary napkin ad, wearing all-white ensembles—running, hopping, jumping without a care in the world. Then there are months when I can be found curled up under the sheets, wincing in pain.

Unfortunately for me, the pain of menstruation is the villain of my life most months, with blissful cycles now only making cameos here and there. Thanks to this, I am always looking out for period hacks that can soothe the damned cramps.

Now in my endeavours for some period pain relief recently, I came across a remedy that requires no heat or painkillers, makes the cramps disappear almost instantly, and works for hours and hours! You might want to brace yourself because this miraculous period hack is none other than the humble Tiger Balm.

Tiger Balm worked almost instantly for my period pain
This past weekend, I woke up to a monstrous flow which very well topped the charts for the worst period ever. Determined to not pop a painkiller, I did what any menstruating millennial would do: I scrolled the depths of the internet until I came across a conversation thread on a discussion forum talking about using Tiger Balm for period pain relief.

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I had heard of pain-relieving topical ointments helping with period cramps before, but the conviction with which these women were raving about Tiger Balm, made me quickly to call up my pharmacist to home deliver one for me.

Once I had the supposed magical potion in my possession, I quickly slathered some on my lower abdomen, massaging it gently into my skin till it was absorbed. Almost instantly, I felt a sharp, cooling sensation which was intense enough to make me forget about my cramps. It stayed with me for about 20 minutes, slowly fading away, taking all the period pain with it.

Half an hour is all it took for Tiger Balm to ease my period cramps. But that’s not the best part—no ma’am. I kept waiting for the pain to come and much to my surprise it never did! Just one application of this ointment was enough to ward off my period cramps for a day!

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Here’s why science says Tiger Balm works for period pain relief
Sure, Tiger Balm might work wonderfully as a period hack, but it’s not meant to work on a distressed uterus now is it? It’s formulated to relieve headaches and joint pain. Which brings me to this question: how did it make my period cramps disappear?

The answer, my dear ladies, lies in understanding why period cramps occur to begin with. You see, in order to expel its lining (which was prepared in anticipation of pregnancy), the uterus contracts with the help of certain hormones responsible for pain and inflammation. It’s this inflammation that perhaps Tiger Balm, with its anti-inflammatory ingredients like camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus oil works on.

This composition of natural ingredients also happens to be present in a lot of OTC menstrual cramps relieving sprays and balms. This is also the formulations for Vicks VapoRub, which believe or not—tonnes of women swear by for period cramps.

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A word of caution though…
While Tiger Balm has proved to be an effective period hack for me, it may not work for you. I will urge you to do a test patch on your arm before applying it your abdominal area. Also, if your skin is dry—it can lead to a burning sensation, so start out with small amounts, applying it up to four times in a day if need be.

So that’s it for me folks. If you have some inventive period hacks, please do share them with me in the comments below. Until next time!