Break the cycle with Elsa’s Blend

Nothing can cramp a woman's style more than her period. The flow paired with other side effects such as nausea and aches and pain can disrupt a woman's life for days.

For many, this period calls for pill popping, while others may incorporate a heating pad to get the job done. But what if I told you that all can be cured with a cup of tea. Its called Elsa's Blend Herbal Tea.

Now, I know what might be crossing your mind: tea? Really? that's an old wives' tale. But think about it, all these medicines are made from compounds grown from the ground anyway, so why not go directly to the source and untap the natural resources?

Elsa's Blend does just that, and according to owner Richard Griffiths, he wanted to help women take a more holistic approach to overcoming period pains. He explained that he was inspired by his daughter. "My daughter was the reason I came up with this concept, he told Outlook. I didn't know a thing about periods, but after seeing a friend in pain, being floored, literally, by the experience, I thought that if this is what all women go through and I have a daughter, I needed to help." He noted that he named the product after his mother, whom he first saw give his ex-girlfriend herbal tea for her cramps - and it worked.

PASSIONATE ABOUT HERBS

A countryman by birth and heart, he was always passionate about herbs, so he went to work. "People love convenience. Who wants to go out and pick bush? People wanted herbs concentrated and regulated, and that's where I came in. I decided to get to picking, measuring them for accuracy purposes. For years, I gave away the tea, and nobody complained. It's for that reason I continued to do it," Griffiths revealed.

The tea contains 100 per cent sun dried Jamaican herbs and spices, such as the calendula, which acts as an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. Cinnamon gives it a nice soothing scent, and a variations of flavoured and non-flavoured mints with calming properties, all come together for one epic cup of tea.

But the secret is in the plant-based Omega 3 fatty acid compounds, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), to be exact. He shared that these help with cardiovascular activities and proper circulation. "The tea softens the endometrial tissues so that the uterus doesn't have to go through a lot of contraction or break down its lining too much either. We have a tea to ease menstrual pain, regulate menstrual cycle, as well as a tea to start or stop the cycle. Herbs are good for you, you just need to know the difference between them all so we create the blends so you can get the right synergy," he explained.

Testing, he says, was a major problem because they are such natural products. But they have ironed out the kinks, and the tea came second at the Minister's Innovations Awards in the category of health and fitness in 2012.

Last year, Griffiths joined forces with United Kingdom's resident Lavonia Francis, who renewed his faith in the dream. "I had planned to give Jamaica a break. But Lavonia came along, tried the teas for herself and encouraged me to continue selling to locals. She carried some teas with her back to the UK and it helped the persons she gave it to, so she saw the potential in it and expressed an interest." The tea is now distributed in the UK.

Currently, Francis deals with the interpersonal relations with female customers, while Griffiths deals with the scientific aspect of the teas. Apart from being his business partner, he says, she's an investor and a motivator too.

"We would like to use our teas to help women with endometriosis. This product might be new, but the herbs have been around long before you or (me). I want to help Jamaica to acknowledge their natural resources and see it as a means of earning income," Griffiths declared

So break that terrible cycle and make happy periods possible with Elsa's Blends today! For more information, follow Elsa's Blends on Facebook and Instagram: @elsasblend or see their testimonies on YouTube.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com