My husband and I love having a warm cup of herbal tea during our little dates. Besides the quality time we spend talking, drinking tea changes our entire mood. It’s also soothing, which helps us relax.
Herbs are one of my absolute favorites to relieve menopause symptoms. They balance our hormones and support sluggish body functions. Herbs don’t provide results in a snap, but they have long-lasting effects on our health.
There are so many herbs out there, and choosing which ones to use can be tricky. I’m giving you a roundup of the best herbs for menopause in this article and how they work!
How do Herbs for Menopause Bring Balance in the Body?
Herbs are plants with healing properties. We can use them to garnish and flavor food or as organic medicine. Herbs don’t only address symptoms but also the root cause of our imbalance. They also nourish and support the body with nutrients. Many women use herbs to avoid the side effects of conventional medicine during menopause.
Herbs work in a simple way inside the body. Like other plant-based sources, herbs are rich in helpful nutrients and natural compounds. When the body breaks down herbs, our gut absorbs all these beneficial compounds.
The thing is, we can’t eat herbs like we eat our veggies or fruits!
Most herbs have an overpowering, bitter or sour taste, which might not suit some people’s taste buds. But do you know that this bitter taste has a purpose?
This means they have stronger and more potent healing chemicals. In fact, the majority of herbs make up many commercially prepared drugs.
Dana LaVoie has a video where she talks about how to find the right herbs that you can use for menopause [13:34]:
Herbs for menopause have different health effects depending on which type you use.
Phytoestrogenic herbs are rich in phytoestrogens or plant-based estrogens. Phytoestrogens are weak forms of estrogen but act like naturally produced estrogens. Besides this, phytoestrogenic herbs also have other health benefits.
- Stimulates the adrenal glands to produce estrogen and progesterone.
- Helps you adapt to your present hormone levels. In the case of estrogen dominance, phytoestrogens will help balance the estrogen-to-progesterone ratio by regulating estrogen in your body.
Maca and Black Cohosh are popular phytoestrogenic herbs. They are the top choice by women who want to increase their estrogen levels. Phytoestrogenic herbs can ease many symptoms, especially hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, sleep disturbance and more.
Besides these two herbs, other well-known and effective phytoestrogenic herbs include:
We have an article about phytoestrogenic herbs that you can check out. Get to know each one and their uses!
The other type of herbs is the adaptogenic herbs! This type of herb contains high amounts of adaptogens. These are compounds that balance and relax the body. Adaptogens also boost mood, fight diseases and increase energy.
Most of all, adaptogens have potent hormone-balancing properties. It maintains the health of the adrenal glands – our back-up organ during menopause. Besides this, it also regulates cortisol, a stress hormone that slows down body functions during menopause. Adaptogens are necessary to keep cortisol under control!
Some of my favorite adaptogenic herbs are Ashwagandha, Chasteberry, Rhodiola and Damiana. There are many other wonderful adaptogenic herbs that you can check in our article!
Dr. Axe talks about his highly recommended adaptogenic herbs for menopause! [11:36]
Top Ayurvedic Herbs for Menopause!
Ayurvedic herbs have been used for thousands of years, and there’s a good reason! Unlike most conventional methods of relieving menopause symptoms, Ayurvedic herbs target the root cause of your discomforts. It brings balance to the body and boosts internal functions.
According to Ayurveda, when your body is healthy, it can fight diseases and conditions well!
Based on Ayurvedic practice, the best way to support our faltering ovaries in menopause is to use hormonal precursors and reproductive tonics. We also have to keep our liver, lymphatic system and skin healthy as they work together to produce hormones.
Dr. John Douillard, a naturopathic doctor and advocate of Ayurvedic herbs, says that these seven herbs are the best for a healthy menopause:
- Nutgrass
- Shatavari
- Chaste Tree Berry
- Finger-leaf Morning Glory
- Black Cohosh
- Wild Yam
- Ashoka
Many studies have been published about the health benefits of Black Cohosh and Shatavari. These herbs are effective in relieving vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Wild yam is a key ingredient in bioidentical hormones.
Maca is one of the most popular herbs for menopause. In fact, experts call it the “hormone balancing wonder”!
Easy Ways to Prepare Herbs for Menopause!
Leaves, seeds, roots or flowers – we can use almost all parts of herbs as natural medicine. Using raw fresh herbs is the best way to absorb their nutrients and healing properties.
Nutritionists say it’s good to use fresh herbs at the end of a recipe, as longer cooking time and intense heat lessens their positive effect. Dried herbs, on the other hand, are good for cooking all year round – they’re also budget-friendly!
The flavor of a herb comes from its essential oils. When you dry herbs, they lose their water content, but their essential oils stay, so the flavor gets more concentrated. Dried herbs are fine to add during the cooking process. They’re especially great for slow-cooked meals like soups and braises. You can keep your dried herbs in a sealed jar and put them in a cool place.
Ms. Hilah Johnson of Home & Garden for Mere Mortals shows you three easy ways to preserve fresh herbs all year round [7:02]:
Besides using fresh or dried herbs for cooking, there are also other types of herb preparation that you can do to preserve their healing properties.
- Infusions – get a handful of dried herbs and pour warm or boiling water to make tea. Leave it for several minutes to get the active ingredients of the herb!
- Juice – chop herbs into thin pieces, add some water, and press to get all its juices. This is one of the best ways to get the herb’s vitamins and minerals. Endure the bitter taste and drink right away for the best results.
- Powder – like infusions, you need to dry a specific part of the herb and grind it once they’re parched.
Drink your herb powder with water, mix it in with your smoothie, salad dressings and meals – the possibilities are endless!
You can make an ointment out from it in combination with lard, beeswax or olive oil. You can also grow your herbs in a jar. Here’s how easy you can do it [3:19]:
Besides making our own herbal remedies, we can buy herbal supplements over the counter. It’s important to remember that some herbal products can have adverse effects if taken with other medicines. However, these supplements may not always have warnings in their labels.
Before you use herbal supplements, be sure to talk to a health practitioner, be it a clinical herbalist, naturopath or doctor. Herbs have plenty of health benefits, but they may not be right for everyone.
Using herbs is an effective but gentle way of easing menopause symptoms. With a healthy diet, regular exercise and stress management, herbs can make our menopause journey easier.
Relive menopause symptoms naturally
Go to our help and self-help page!
New to the site?
Start on our homepage!
Have you tried herbs for your menopause symptoms?
How did your experience go?
All your comments are appreciated. ?
If you enjoy reading, help us spread the info on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter!
References:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92773/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783135/
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/menopausal-symptom
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2529629
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4029542/
www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/949036/
What is best for sleep issues? What do you think of Adrenal Cortex? Thank you for all the green information Dr. Axe. Cindy
Hi Cindy!
There are so many things we can do to sleep better.
I hope you have looked over your food, movement, fresh air and recovery time :- )
I talk about that and many other things to do in my article
16 Natural Solutions for Sleep Deprivation During Menopause
There are a lot of supplements sold out there and I can´t comment on the one you mention.
If you have problems with your adrenals (which many of us do), read my article to learn more;
7 Natural Ways to Treat Adrenal Fatigue and Heal Your Adrenals!
We are all different and what works for me might not work for you.
I am always working on getting the best sleep since that sets how I feel overall. I notice a big difference depending on what and how much I eat. Having too many thoughts playing ping pong in the head is also my biggest disturber. I write them down before bed, and I have a happy place that relaxes me, so I easily fall asleep. A cold shower before bed is also great. It regulates the Vagus nerve, which in turn resets your nervous system. Then the hormones can flow in a balanced way, and that is what we are after, right 😊
Magnesium and lavender oil are my go-to products. GABA is another that I find good.
I hope these tips can give you a peaceful rest at night.
Take care!
Gita ♥