Your monthly cycle is said to tell the story of your whole health. So what is a normal cycle? In a perfect world, your cycle lasts between 28–30 days. Your bleed should last around four to seven days, have a strong flow and be cranberry coloured from start to finish. There should be no clots, no brown blood and definitely no pain.

About half way through your cycle you ovulate and this is when you’re most fertile. You may notice some egg white looking, fluid discharge – this tells you that you are ovulating. The fluid is the sticky glue that helps sperm travel to the cervix to wait for an egg to be released and for conception to occur.

If conception does not occur you release the lining of the uterus, which thickens in preparation every month, and you bleed. After your bleed you should notice an increase in energy and, in the second half of your cycle, you have a more focused, determined energy to get things done.

We all know that it doesn’t always work out that way though, don’t we? That’s where herbal medicine can come to the rescue. From the absence of periods (amenorrhoea), to painful periods (dysmenorrhoea), and heavy periods (menorrhagia) herbal medicine can help.

By treating you as the unique individual that you are, rather than treating the medically named dis-ease state, herbal medicine helps to balance your hormones and improve your menstrual cycle.