For some women, menstrual periods are no different from any other days: they go to work, hit the gym, run errands, and bounce through their days with as much energy and vitality as at any other time. Others are not so fortunate. For them, “that time of the month” means curling up on the couch with a hot water bottle against their back or abdomen and a bottle of ibuprofen within easy reach, and doing a workout or even cooking dinner is out of the question. With increasing warnings about the dangers of NSAIDs, and more people becoming interested in safe, natural, non-toxic remedies for common ailments, an effective remedy for the pain of dysmenorrhea may be hiding in plain sight in the spice cabinet. We’re talking about ginger.