| Natural
Remedy |
What
experts say about them |
| Soy for Menopause |
  (What's this?)
Soy protein powder contains phytoestrogen (plant-based estrogens) that
can reduce hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. Japanese women
consume a lot of soy-based foods (such as tofu and miso soup) and they
have less severe symptoms of perimenopause. Soy-based products are one
of the many natural remedies for menopause symptoms.
Dose:
Take up to 60 grams daily (in divided doses). Soy milk is an excellent
source instead of taking soy protein powder.
Warning:
Do not take this if you suffer from allergies to soy protein.
|
Black
Cohosh
(Cimicifuga
racemosa) |
Many clinical trials support the benefits of using black
cohosh for menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and anxiety.
Moreover, a study done out of Germany involving 10,121 women seems to
suggest that black cohosh may prevent breast cancer.
Not all studies show the health benefits of black cohosh. One recent
study showed that it made no difference.
Click
here to read the full review on one of the most popular natural remedies for menopause.
Dose:
Take 40 to 80 mg twice daily. Click
here to see other dosage formulations. There are few side
effects
when taken at the recommended doses.
|
Chasteberry
(Vitex)
|
Historically, chasteberry is used to treat breast pain and menstrual
problems.
Chasteberry is shown in clinical studies to help with premenstrual
syndrome (PMS), mood swings, hot flashes and to control heavy
menstruation for women in perimenopause.
Dose:
Take 160 to 240 mg daily of the extract. (It is standardized to 0.6% of
aucubin.)
|
| Flaxseed |
Flaxseed (not the oil) contains lignans, a type of phytoestrogen that
can be helpful in breast tenderness, menstrual bleeding, dry skin and
dry vagina.
It has the added benefit that it may reduce the risk of breast cancer
and promote cardiovascular health.
Dose:
Take 15 to 30 grams (1 to 2 tablespoon) of ground flaxseed daily.
Note:
Flaxseed is a better choice than flaxseed oil as the oil
does not contain the essential phytoestrogen lignans.
|
St.
John's Wort
(Hypericum
perforatum) |
St. John's wort is used in Germany and is well known to help treat
anxiety and depression. Combining this herb with black cohosh
significantly reduces menopause symptoms (such as depression, anxiety
and insomnia).
Dose:
Take 300 to 500 mg up to three times daily.
|
Ginseng
(Panax
ginseng) |
Ginseng (in combination with other herbs) is shown in clinical studies
to help boost sex drive
(libido), reduce hot flashes and insomnia. Using ginseng for menopause
symptoms may be a good choice when combined with other herbs and
supplements.
Dose:
Take 600 to 1,200 mg daily (in divided doses) to help with menopause
symptoms.
|
| Vitamin
E |
Clinical studies seem to suggest that vitamin E can be helpful in
reducing menopause symptoms. It helps with memory problem,
menstrual pain and premenstrual syndrome (such as anxiety and
depression).
Dose:
Take 800 IU daily for 3 month. Continue at this dose if
symptoms are lessened.
|
| Maca |
One study revealed that maca reduces
psychological symptoms (including anxiety and depression), and
sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women.
Dose: Volunteers in this study used 3.5 grams of powdered maca daily for 6 weeks.
|
| DHEA |
Some
studies (but not all) show that the health benefits of DHEA supplements
include easing hot flashes, mood swing and boosting
libido (sex drive) during
menopause.
Dose:
Take 25 to 50 mg daily. Click here
to find out other formulations that have been used.
|
Alfalfa
(Medicago
sativa) |
 
Alfalfa is known to have the health benefit of lowering high
cholesterol. It also contains chemicals
(isoflavonoids) that seem to have estrogen-like activity.
Dose:
Take 60 mg of alfalfa extract (along with 120 mg of sage) daily for up
to three months.
Dried
leaf - Take 300 to 600 mg once daily.
Tincture
(1:1) - Take 5 to 10 mL up to three times daily.
Tea
- Use 5 to 10 grams, steep and stain. Drink up to three times daily.
|
Hops
(Humulus
lupulus) |
Helpful
Animal studies show that hops has sedative benefit and can be helpful
in treating insomnia and sleep problems. This may be useful in
providing
relief from insomnia, anxiety and tension.
Dose:
Take 250 mg two to three times daily.
|
Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza
glabra) |
Helpful
Herbalists suggest using licorice to treat a wide variety of
perimenopause symptoms including hot flashes.
Dose:
Dose of 3.5 grams a day of the raw herb has been suggested.
|
Sage
(Salvia
officinalis) |
 Helpful
Some herbalists suggest that sage can be used to treat mood swings,
night sweats and headaches.
Dose:
Take 120 mg of the extract (along with 60 mg of alfalfa) daily for up
to three months.
|
Valerian
(Valeriana
officinalis)
or
Melatonin |
Helpful
These
two products can be very helpful in treating symptoms of insomnia
and sleep disturbances. They are often forgotten as natural
remedies for menopause because they are specific in treating insomnia.
If you are suffering from insomnia due to perimenopause, consider
taking one of these two remedies.
|
Ginkgo
(Ginkgo
biloba) |
Helpful
Ginkgo
can be helpful in memory problems associated with perimenopause
symptoms.
|
Wild
Yam
(Dioscorea
villosa) |
May
not be effective
Read this
quick summary before taking wild yam to help treat perimenopause
symptoms.
Wild yam is promoted as one of the many natural remedies for menopause
because manufacturers use it to make DHEA.
When we take DHEA, our body can convert it to hormones such as
estrogen. Our body cannot convert However, our body cannot convert the
same active ingredient found in wild yam into DHEA.
|
Dong
Quai
(Angelica
sinensis) |
May
not be effective
It
is one of the most popular herb used in Chinese medicine to treat
health conditions in women. It has been referred to as the "female
ginseng" and is one of the commonly used natural remedies for menopause.
Dong quai has estrogen-like properties that can be
used to treat menopause symptoms. However, several studies show that it
doesn't provide relief from menopause symptoms.
One
double-blinded randomized studies done on 71 postmenopausal women
showed that it was no better than placebo in helping with hot flashes
and many other symptoms.
Dose:
Extract (1:1) - Take 0.5
to 2 mL three times daily. Dried
root - Make a decoction
with 3 to 10 grams of the sliced dried root. Drink up to three times
daily.
|
Red
Clover
(Trifolium
pratense) |
 May
not be effective
Red
clover is commonly suggested for treating menopausal symptoms such as
breast tenderness, hot flashes and PMS. Because it contains
phytoestrogens, experts believe it would help with menopause symptoms.
However,
several small studies showed that it didn't help with reducing hot
flashes. Better quality research studies will need to be done to
confirm red clover's benefit.
Dose:
Take 40 to 160 mg daily. The brand used is Promensil.
|
