Herbs: Easing Your Way Through Menopause

Many women going through menopause experience nasty symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, memory problems and bladder weakness. I am 52 now and right in the midst of "The Change" myself. A couple of years ago, my doctor put me on a low dose HRT pill and I soon noticed black purplish bruises going down the inside of my thigh and calf . I did not think that boded well - I was scared of blood clots in my leg -- so I got off the HRT pills and went in search of herbal treatments. On the Internet there is a plethora of alternative remedies for menopause and many companies are hawking their menopause formulas for us middle age women. In this article I'm only going to talk about the benefits of individual herbs, because the companies that sell herbal formulas have a vested financial interest at stake.

On the site www.Holisticonline.com there are a multiple herbs that are recommended to combat menopause symptoms some of which are easy to obtain and others which are more obscure. They recommend Black cohosh, Chaste Tree, Damiana, Dandelion, Dong quai, False Unicorn Root, Ginko, Ginseng, Licorice, Liferoot, Raspberry, Red Clover, Sage, St. John's Wort, Sarsparilla, Saw Palmetto, Shepherd's Purse, True Unicorn Root and Wild yam. Some of these remedies like False Unicorn Root, Sasparilla, Liferoot, and Damiana cannot be found in our local health food stores in and I assume are hard to get elsewhere as well. I for one could never afford to take all these remedies at once and never could swallow that many supplements, so I've picked out the most common and popular herbs to discuss.

Chaste tree is used in menopause to balance hormones and to help ease depression. The dosage is 300-600 mgs. in tablet or capsules daily. Even the humble dandelion can help menopausal symptoms. When your hormones are out of balance the liver is stressed, and dandelion can help fortify the liver. The dosage is 1,000-3,000 mgs. in tablet or capsule form or 2-3 cups of dandelion tea. Around my neck of the woods dandelion tea is very common, but I haven't seen dandelion pills yet. I suppose if a woman was enterprising she could get the information on how to process dandelions and in the Spring there would be an endless supply. I know that the dandelion root can be ground up and roasted for a coffee substitute.

If menopause is fogging your memory Gingko may help out. The usual dose is 1,000 mgs. twice daily if taken in pills or capsules.. Ginkgo is supposed to help the brain work better, ease fatigue, and lift depression.

Saw Palmetto is a herb one usually thinks of as helpful for men with prostate problems, however, it turns out that it is a useful herb for women for the treatment of urinary incontinence, fluid retention and bladder dysfunction. The usual dosage is 1,000-2,000 mgs. in tablet or capsule form. It is easily found in the drug stores, because so many men use it. Saw Palmetto is also supposed to also supposed to help chronic cystitis as well.

Another herb on the hit parade for helping menopause is Red clover because it stimulates the ovaries and is good for treating ovarian cysts. The dosage needed to relieve hot flashes and other menopausal woes is 1,000-2,000 mgs or 3-4 cups of clover tea a day. I'm definitely going to try Red clover myself as I have a cyst on my right ovary. It would be great if a herbal remedy would cure it and I could avoid surgery.

Wild yam is a herb that produces estrogen-like and progesterone-like effects and can be used to help heavy menstrual bleeding. The dosage is 1,000-4,000 mgs. of dried extract daily or ½ teaspoon of tincture twice daily. I tried the Wild yam cream rubbed onto my skin and found that it made me irritable, but this herb is widely used and some women get good results from it.

I found a multi-herbal remedy for hot flashes that you can brew up yourself at www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Menopause. The formula is:

• 2 parts sage
• 2 parts Milk Thistle seed
• ½ part Rosemary
• 2 parts Motherwort
• ¼ part Ginseng

All the herbs are to be blended together. To brew a cup of tea pour 8 ounces of boiling water over 1 tsp. of the herbs and let steep with a cover on for 30 minutes. Strain and drink during the day as required.

SCRATCH THAT ITCH

To treat vaginal dryness associated with menopause topically applying Calendula cream is very effective in nixing the itch. Some women use Vagisil from the drug store but the Calendula cream is more natural.

Eating alfalfa sprouts can balance those out of whack hormones and detoxify the body. To get the benefits of the sprouts they need to be very fresh. Get some alfalfa seeds from the health food store and put them in a dish with paper towel on it. Never use seeds that have been treated with fungicide or pesticide! Next add a layer of seeds and soak with filtered water, leaving a small pool of water. Cover with another piece of paper towel and keep moist. The alfalfa seeds will be ready in a day or two for use in sandwiches or salads. Keep the sprouts in the fridge after they have sprouted.

Personally, I'm glad to know that there are many safe, alternative choices for controlling the symptoms of menopause. For me HRT pills made me feel bloated, puffy, and might have cause a fatal blood clot. My body definitely told me that conventional HRT was not for me. Right now I'm trying herbal remedies and doing senior citizen's exercise three times a week (no, I'm not quite a senior yet). Menopause is a time when women have to take time for themselves and take care of their bodies. Fortunately, nature is there to help ease us through "The Change".