Herbal Treatment for Menopause
Menopause can be accompanied by a host of uncomfortable and unpleasant symptoms, which can last for years. In addition to traditional medical attempts to curb and balance the causes of menopausal ailments, women can turn to herbal treatments.
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Significance
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Medicianl Herbs
Menopause marks a significant transition in a woman's life. Reaching the end of a long biological cycle, the menopausal woman is no longer capable of child-bearing. Her ovaries reduce production of female sex hormones. Holistic Online points out that women can live one-third of their life post-menopausal. So it is important for women to understand menopause and the options for treatment of attendant issues.
Symptoms
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Herbal Remedies
Women experience menopause in varying ways. According to Holistic Online, 10 to 15 percent of women report that symptoms of menopause interfere with their daily lives. Women should speak frankly with their physicians, ask questions about treatment options and gauge their doctor's openness to alternative remedies. More doctors are embracing herbal treatments as adjuncts or alternatives to more traditional hormone replacement therapy.
Herbal treatments can offer relief from some of the more intrusive menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and nervousness are only a few of the many disturbances women may face for extended periods of time. Every menopausal symptom is at least a distraction, and it is usually significant enough to prompt the woman to explore possible remedies.
Different women will have different responses to herbal treatments and remedies. In fact, some women may not respond to any alternative treatments at all.
Herbal Remedies
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Dong-Quai Extract
It is not surprising that herbs are sometimes used to treat menopausal issues. Pharmaceuticals are comprised of botanical compounds. Dong quai and ginseng are popular alternatives that release mild plant estrogens (hormones) into a woman's body. Black cohosh, chickweed and dandelion are among other herbs offering relief from hot flashes. Chaste tree, damask rose and golden seal are generally recommended for menstrual irregularity, hot flashes and vaginal discomfort.
Women who experience menopause-related stress and decreased libido can benefit from progesterone cream. Holistic Online makes the following recommendation: "Natural progesterone cream is absorbed through the skin and goes directly to where it is needed by the body. Apply it to soft, fatty-tissue areas such as breasts, underarms, inner thighs or abdomen. Absorption should take three to five minutes. If it is absorbed in less than two minutes, increase the amount of the cream to 3/4 tsp. until absorption exceeds two minutes, then return to 1/2 tsp. twice daily for twelve to fifteen days of the month. The cream also helps dry skin and brown spots on hands and arms."
Research
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Black Cohosh
With few clinical trials or double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, proponents of herbal treatments for menopause look to a 1993 study by naturopathic physicians Tori Hudson and Leanna Standish. Participants came to the study experiencing some form of menopausal symptoms. One group was given a placebo. The other group took cocktails of herbs, which included licorice, burdock, Mexican wild yam, dong quai and motherwort. After three months, "71 percent of the group on herbs reported relief of all menopausal symptoms in comparison to 17 percent in the placebo group. Relieved symptoms included hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood changes and insomnia." While the study had limitations, Hudson was encouraged by the results.
Conversely, the Herbal Alternatives (HALT) for Menopause Study concluded that black cohosh alone or with other herbs did not ease study participants' hot flashes. HALT was co-funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute on Aging.
Treatments
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Cup of Garden Tea
Holistic Online offers a recipe for herbal tea as a possible remedy for symptoms related to menopause. Combine 6 tbsp. each of chamomile, lemon balm leaves and St. John's Wort tops. Add 3 tbsp. lavender flowers, 2 tbsp. each orange flowers and rose hips skin, and 1 tbsp. valerian root. If using fresh herbs, double these amounts. Steep 3 tbsp. of this herbal blend in 1 cup boiling distilled water for 5 minutes. Strain. Drink two to three cups daily for four weeks. Always consult with your doctor or health-care professional before taking any herbs.
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