New Chocolates Promise to Help With PMS Symptoms

— -- Even women with the strictest discipline can fall prey to the prime peril of PMS: chocolate.

Tania Green, 29, was one of those women. After tracking her moods daily for three years as a New Year’s resolution to be more mindful, she noticed a pattern -- nearly all her bad moods fell on PMS days. And that on those days, she kept reaching for sugary treats.

“I live in the Little Italy of Boston, so there are tons of brownies and cookies and tempting things around. I like to stay fit, so I’m usually good, but around that time, I have intense cravings, so it’s hard to resist,” Green told ABC News.

To keep away from the really unhealthy treats, Green started experimenting in the kitchen to create a healthier alternative, which is how “PMS Bites,” her new company now on Kickstarter, was born.

The recipe for these date chocolate balls isn’t novel -- similar versions are popular on vegan blogs and Pinterest -- but Green added herbs to her recipe that she said studies have shown are proven to reduce PMS symptoms.

"There’s dandelion root, which helps with bloating, Siberian ginseng, which helps with irritability and chamomile, which helps you relax and unwind,” she explained. “I’m not sitting here, though, claiming this is going to end your PMS symptoms. What I’m claiming is it’s a healthy alternative to a Snickers bar or a dessert filled with sugar and no nutritional value whatsoever.”

The balls, which are gluten-free, all-natural and vegan, are made with dates, cocoa powder, almond butter, coconut oil and brown rice syrup and come in three flavors. The “Plain Crazy” is a chocolate bite made with premium fair-trade cocoa powder and hearty oats and coated with cocoa powder and coconut palm sugar. Green describes it as a cross between a chocolate truffle and brownie batter. The two flavor variations – “Coco-nutty” and “All Kinds of Nuts” are the same bite, but one is rolled in coconut and the other in pecans.

Once Green settled on the perfect recipe, she developed a business and marketing plan, which led to the Kickstarter that she launched Tuesday morning at 9am with a goal of $5,000, which she surpassed in just 15 hours.

“It’s been awesome to see,” she said. “The messages pour in and just hearing people’s feedback has been great.”

Next up is mass producing the bites and starting her subscription service by the end of April. Women (or men) will be able to time delivery with when their PMS is scheduled to start, and six balls a month will be $20.