Your Moon Days Matter: Invitation to Moonlight
- Sara Budhwani
- Jun 19
- 10 min read
A personal letter and call to women from Sara, founder of Happy Tea, on our process on developing Moonlight, and why it's time to honour your cycle—not hide from it.
Call it what you want—your period, your moon day, that time of the month.
I used to think my period was something to endure. Something that happened to me, not for me. Like most women, I learned to hide it, band aide the symptoms, and push through it.
The pain would hit hard—deep cramps that ache over me, a fog that clouded my thinking, disappearing energy. I'd cancel plans, hide under the covers, or just carry on. Something all women can relate to.
But are we thinking of this backwards?
What if your cycle isn't a weakness to overcome, but a superpower to harness?
What if those monthly hormonal shifts aren't meant to give us chaos?
I'm sharing how I went from dreading my period to feeling powerful during it. How I discovered that when you stop fighting your cycle and start working with it, you don't just survive your moon days—you thrive during them.
Why Women's Health Remains a Mystery We're Ready to Solve
Women's health still broadly remains a puzzle—not only to the men who wish to support the women in their lives, but to women themselves. When we began this journey of creating Moonlight, it was utterly shocking how difficult it was to find reliable, concrete information about women's health mechanics and what research is actually doing to help women.
Since science is still catching up, is the answer that in the meantime we should just stick to paracetamol and birth control? We believe women deserve something more effective.
I don't need to over explain why this matters—women are half the population of the world. They are our mothers, daughters, siblings, and partners. They are human beings. That's reason enough to create something that betters their lives in such an intrinsic way.
When we dug deeper into this question, we had to ask: has it always been like this? Have women always had to deal with their own bodies working against them for millennia, or is this struggle more relevant due to the conditions we live in today?
Interestingly, our earliest ancestors entered menarche at a younger age to compensate for shorter life spans—around 7-13 years old. Then we hit a longer gap during the medieval to industrial age, up until the later end of the 20th century, when cycles became more problematic as our lifestyles moved further away from natural rhythms.
Ancient medical texts from thousands of years ago describe the same cyclical experiences we have today. The Kahun Gynecological Papyrus, one of the oldest medical documents ever found, details pelvic discomfort and emotional changes that sound remarkably like what we now call premenstrual symptoms. Traditional Chinese Medicine spoke of the balance of yin and yang affecting women's cycles, while Ayurvedic texts described how imbalances in the body's energy systems created monthly discomfort.
Ancient healers developed intricate systems of herbs, foods, and lifestyle practices specifically designed to work with women's cycles.
And today, we listen to male doctors and medical systems that are mainly tested and built for men. Science in the past has disregarded women because of how complex their cycles are for clinical studies. A 1995 paper in Epidemiological Review notes that medical research basically ignores women’s hormonal cycles.
Women’s 28-day cycle bears no resemblance to the 24-hour cycle for men. Our energy is not static day to day, our productivity could be completely different depending on where we are in our 28-day cycle.
But yet, we have been forced to live according to the male hormonal rhythm for so long we don’t even question it.
Somewhere along the way, we lost this wisdom. We started treating our cycles as inconveniences rather than intelligence. But what if we could reclaim that ancient understanding and combine it with modern science?
What Your Body Is Actually Doing (And Why It's Incredible)
During the menstrual phase, when most of us feel "weak," something remarkable is happening. Your brain activity shifts to the right hemisphere—the side associated with intuition, creativity, and introspection. This can lead to having more insights, creative downloads, and clarity about life decisions.
But while your brain is accessing this heightened intuitive state, your body is also working overtime. Multiple systems are shifting simultaneously:
Your neurological system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves), endocrine system (hormone-producing glands like the ovaries, adrenals, and pituitary), immune system (spleen, lymph nodes, white blood cells), digestive system (gut, liver, stomach), musculoskeletal system (muscles, joints, and uterus), and metabolic system (how your body processes energy and nutrients).
The problem isn't your period. The problem is that we're trying to live the same way every day of the month, fighting against these natural rhythms instead of harnessing them.
Here's where it gets complex: the endocrine system comprises all the glands in your body that produce hormones—from your reproductive organs to your pituitary gland—ensuring regulation of metabolism, growth, reproduction, and mood. This system triggers all the changes you experience. When estrogen and progesterone levels shift, they cascade through every other system. You can imagine that if any of these systems aren't operating optimally, they create a domino effect. Hormone levels become dysregulated, making your brain more sensitive to these fluctuations, particularly with progesterone derivatives that influence your GABA system, causing those mood swings you know all too well.
Why is this incredible? Because your body is orchestrating a complex symphony of renewal, intuition, and creative power every single month. When you understand what's happening, when you are in a position to support it instead of fighting it, that’s where magical changes happen.
Cycle Syncing
You may have already heard of cycle syncing which can involve adapting your diet, activities, workflow, exercise, and more to your cycle. Research on this is showing that women who honour their menstrual cycles experience:
Reduced pain and cramping when they rest and support their bodies during menstruation
Improved mood and mental clarity when they adjust their expectations and activities to match their hormonal fluctuations
Better overall health when they eat, move, and live in alignment with their cycles
Increased productivity and creativity when they work with their natural energy rhythms instead of against them
Because we're pretty much in the dark about how our female body systems work, we don't look at the interconnectedness of each symptom. How can one medication address several glands and organs? There's only one way to address such a complex system and that's by supporting your endocrine system as a whole.
This is where the magic of Moonlight comes in—every single ingredient was chosen to support what your body is experiencing during menstruation.
From Traditional Chinese Medicine, we also know that the menstrual phase is the coldest part of your cycle, making warming foods and teas ideal during this time. This herbal tea is a complete support system designed around what your body is actually doing during menstruation. Every ingredient has a purpose, every flavour has a function.
Moonlight Ingredients
For your neurological system, which is recalibrating neurotransmitters and accessing heightened intuition:
5-HTP supports serotonin production when levels naturally dip
Cacao provides natural mood-boosting compounds and helps with those chocolate cravings your body is actually asking for
B vitamins (B5, B6, B9, B12) support neurotransmitter synthesis and combat brain fog
For your endocrine system, managing the complex hormonal reset:
Red Maca helps balance hormones without overstimulating your already sensitive system
Rhodiola Rosea acts as an adaptogen, helping your body manage hormonal stress
Shilajit provides mineral support for hormone production
For your immune system, which becomes more reactive and sensitive:
Rose Petals offer gentle anti-inflammatory properties
Lapacho (Pau d'Arco) provides immune system support
Liquorice helps modulate inflammatory responses
For your digestive system, which slows down and needs gentle support:
Fennel Seed eases bloating and supports digestion
Orange Peel aids digestive function and adds warming properties
Pink Pepper stimulates circulation and digestion
Beetroot supports liver detoxification
For your musculoskeletal system, dealing with cramps and tension:
Magnesium Citrate helps muscles relax and reduces cramping
Lady's Mantle has been used for centuries by European herbalists specifically for menstrual support
Hemp provides omega fatty acids and gentle muscle relaxation
For replenishing what you lose, because your body is literally giving of itself:
Several ingredients, including beetroot and shilajit, help replenish iron levels that naturally drop during menstruation
Hemp and other mineral-rich ingredients like shilajit, cacao, and red maca, support zinc levels, which are also depleted during your cycle
For your cravings and emotional needs (because you deserve sweetness during this intense time):
Caramel and almond provide comforting sweetness without blood sugar spikes
Tonka Bean adds vanilla-like warmth and comfort
Popcorn offers a touch of playful sweetness
Creating Moonlight wasn't just about making another tea. It was about crafting something medicinal that could actually support what I now understood was happening in my body.
It took 23 versions and months of testing with real women to get Moonlight ready for launch. Each 14.45g tea bag is intentionally packed with support—nothing random. Every ingredient was chosen with scientific intention, but also with the understanding that we deserve to enjoy what we're putting in our bodies.
Like cacao, for its mood-boosting properties, but also because when you're bleeding and your body is craving chocolate, you should have chocolate—just the kind that actually supports your cycle instead of working against it.
Caramel, almond, popcorn, and tonka bean aren't just there for flavour (though they make it taste incredible). They're there because during menstruation, you deserve sweetness without the harming your blood sugar levels.
You deserve comfort. You deserve to feel held, not just by the ingredients that ease your cramps, but by the ones that make you smile when you taste them.
The result? I went from dreading my period to having pain-free cycles. It's wild to bleed and feel powerful. To look forward to my moon days as a time of insight and creativity instead of something to survive.
Microdosing Psilocybin & PMS
In the past few years, microdosing psilocybin has emerged as a powerful ally for women’s health, especially around the menstrual cycle. And the research is finally catching up to what many of us have already felt.
One study from Johns Hopkins University found that low doses of psilocybin helped regulate mood, ease anxiety, and reduce physical PMS symptoms. Women reported fewer mood swings, more emotional steadiness, and a stronger sense of connection to their bodies during the luteal and menstrual phases.
Other recent studies, like those referenced by Hystellica, show that microdosing can reduce PMDD symptoms, support emotional regulation, and even improve relational awareness—offering real-time relief without numbing. The psilocybin interacts with serotonin receptors, which naturally decline before and during menstruation, and increases neuroplasticity, helping the brain shift out of ruminative thought loops like sadness, overwhelm, or anxiety.
Moonlight was designed to work in harmony with microdosing. The ingredients we chose aren’t just tea-friendly—they’re psilocybin-supportive, too. Adaptogens like Rhodiola and minerals like magnesium are known to enhance mood regulation and reduce emotional volatility, making them beautiful companions to a microdose.
And as always, we considered the taste. We formulated Moonlight to blend seamlessly with microdose truffles—no earthy aftertaste, no interference. Just a soft, warming flavour profile that holds you gently, with or without psilocybin.
Your Invitation
Moonlight is your permission to stop pushing through and start tuning in. It's a way to honour the most intense part of your cycle, not just survive it.
It gives you permission to not hide that you're having your hardest day of the month, and that you need extra care today.
It's allowing your partner, friends, and colleagues to understand that supporting you during your moon days means supporting your overall wellbeing and productivity.
It's raising daughters who see their cycles as a source of wisdom and strength, not shame and inconvenience.
Remember, your biological rhythmic pattern lays out the ideal way to support your whole life—not only by taking care of your physical body, but also by adopting ways that fuel your feminine energy and creativity. Always connecting to your body and inner wisdom rather than obsessing over what you think you should be doing is a profound mindset shift that can spark many positive changes in your life. Your body shows you signs when you're not aligned with your optimal flow.
Disconnection only leads to more anxiety, confusion, stress, and diminished confidence.
When your moon days arrive, it's always more effective to take a holistic approach and give yourself care in many forms. Tea is just one of them. Other practices could include:
Balance your hormones and become aware of their state. A gynecologist can help with this, or visit www.FLOliving.com/what-is-your-v-sign
Adopt a biohacking mindset instead of treating your cycle as this mysterious thing that happens to you
Remove endocrine disruptors as much as possible, though this is challenging in today's world. According to a 2014 study in Environmental Research, switching your diet from conventionally produced foods to organic reduced urinary output of pesticides by nearly 90 percent in just seven days
Sync your diet with your cycle to support your body's changing needs throughout the month
Rest! The most important thing you can do during the menstrual phase. Indulge in self-care, read a good book, watch your favourite movie, spend quality time with yourself
For deeper learning, I recommend books like "In the Flo" by Alisa Vitti and "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" by Christiane Northrup, where you can get serious about cycle tracking and taking control of your flow.
This isn't about becoming dependent on a ritual. It's about creating a practice that helps you harness the natural power available to you during this time.
And for me, after 6 months of using (versions of) Moonlight, the power to not have to worry about dreadful cramps ruining my day is the most rewarding feeling—something I wish every woman could experience.
With this we give you Moonlight..
Moonlight comes in a beautiful box of 3 tea bags. Use one bag per symptom day. It can be used with or without microdosing.
Steep one bag in 500ml of water at 75°C for 5-7 minutes. The blend is rich enough for a second steeping in the same sitting, so you can truly savour the experience.
The taste is warming and comforting—like a hug in a cup with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and gentle spice that make you feel held and nourished.
With Moonlight, we want women to feel comfortable telling others they're on their period and they need their tea. Because taking care of yourself isn't something to hide—it's something to honour.
Moonlight will be available for pre-order starting June 19th at https://www.microdosetogether.com/product-page/moonlight.
With love and lunar wisdom,
Sara
Founder, Happy Tea
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