Chinese Herbs & Menopause

Menopause is the cessation of a woman's menstrual cycle, marking the end of her reproductive, childbearing years. This usually occurs in her 50s, and its symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats, weight gain, fatigue and mood swings. Traditional Chinese medicine uses herbs to help women cope with the effects of menopause on their bodies.

Alternative Medicine

As an alternative to the cancer risks associated with hormone replacement therapy for menopause, the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine states there are several formulas used for menopause.

Three Immortals

Three Immortals is a Chinese herbal formula that helps to stabilize a woman's hormonal balance and physiology as she transitions through the menopause process. Its ingredients include morinda root, curculingo rhizome, epimedium leaf, red date fruit, tang-kuei root, eclipta herb, ligustrum fruit, moutan cortex, lycium cortex, anemarrhena rhizome, phellodendron cortex and licorice root.

Great Yin

Great Yin calms the heat-related symptoms of menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes. Its formula consists of processed tortoise shell, phellodendron cortex, rehmannia root and anemarrhena root.

Dioscorea

Dioscorea is a Chinese yam that rebalances the kidney yin. A kidney yin imbalance in menopause can cause hot flashes, gray hair and dryness, according to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

Six Flavor Teapills and Zizyphus Formula

Six Flavor Teapills is a Chinese herb formula used to treat kidney yin deficiency. It contains peony root, poria cocos fungus, alisma plantago aquatica, cornus officinalis, Rehmannia glutinosa and dioscorea opposite. The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine claims Zizyphus Formula treats night sweats. It contains ziziphus spinosa, poria cocos fungus, ligusticum wallichii root, anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizome and glycyrrhiza uralensis/licorice root.

Considerations

The University of Minnesota suggests that a woman should try Chinese herbs under the care of a health care professional to see if they effectively relieve her menopausal symptoms. It also notes that in traditional Chinese medicine, people use the herbs in combination with dietary improvements, physical exercise and therapeutic energy rebalancing of their bodies, as in acupuncture and massage.

References

• Herbs for Women: Alternatives to Prescription Medications
• Menopause: What are Some Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices to Consider for Menopause?
• Canadian Women's Health Network: Menopause

Resources

• Three Immortals from Health Concerns
• Great Yin (Modified Da Bu Yin)
• Six Flavor Teapills (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan)