Info about Herbal Treatments
WESTERN HERBAL TREATMENT OF MENOPAUSAL PROBLEMS
WESTERN HERBAL TREATMENT OF MENOPAUSAL PROBLEMS!
Herbal approach to ill health at the menopause seeks to look wider than the narrow focus of hormone levels. Menopausal symptoms can result from long-term stress and chronic ill health, and these are factors which in turn make it harder for the body to adapt and establish a new (post-menopausal) hormonal balance. Advice on diet, exercise and relaxation is central, but practitioners will also prescribe herbs to support hormonal function, relieve menopausal symptoms and promote emotional balance.
* Black Cohosh
(Cimicifuga racemosa) is a traditional Native American remedy for women's health problems, which has gained a reputation as a helpful alternative remedy for the menopause. Black cohosh is especially useful for hot flushes, sweating, sleep disorders and nervous irritability. Where nervous exhaustion or depression is also a feature, it combines well with St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum).
Black cohosh is commonly recommended as an alternative to HRT and a 1998 review of eight clinical trials concluded that black cohosh extract might be a safe and effective alternative where HRT was contraindicated or rejected.
Extrapolating from Japanese research into other species of herbs related to black cohosh, it has also been proposed that this herb might inhibit the loss of calcium from bone and thus protect against osteoporosis in menopausal women.
* Sage and Alfa-Alfa may also be useful for menopausal symptoms. A small clinical trial investigated the efficacy of a sage (Salvia officinalis) and alfa-alfa (Medicago sativa) combination in relieving hot flushes and night sweats. It found significant improvement in symptoms, with all the women experiencing reduced symptoms and most finding that hot flushes and night sweats completely disappeared.
* Red Clover
A systematic review published in the journal Menopause suggested the herb red clover (Trifolium pratense) might benefit women suffering with severe menopausal problems.
* Other Herbs
Many other herbal medicines have long been used to treat menopausal symptoms. Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), for example, are both valuable for treating dry skin, vaginal dryness and lowered libido. Chaste berry (Vitex agnus-castus), which has a progesterogenic action, is most commonly used for problems in the phase of a woman's life leading up to menopause.