Menopause is a major life event in a woman’s life. There are many botanicals and supplements that can help support the physical, emotional, and hormonal changes that take place during this season of life.
In this article, we will review some of the best supplements and herbs for menopause.
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Menopause Overview:
Menopause is a natural transition that occurs in women, typically between the ages of 45 and 55, and is considered the end of menstruation. This hormonal transition is primarily due to the decline of the hormone estrogen, which naturally decreases with aging. Perimenopause is the period before menopause, while postmenopause is the period after menopause.
Menopause is a time of immense change for women, physically and emotionally. The natural hormonal change causes the rise of menopause symptoms.
Common menopausal symptoms may include:
- Hot flashes
- Sleep disturbances
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Memory difficulties
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Weight gain
- Low libido
- Vaginal dryness
Best Herbs for Menopause:
There are many supplements and herbs for female health that can help menopausal women experience a smooth and healthy transition by relieving bothersome symptoms and supporting overall well-being.
Below are the top research-backed herbs and supplements for the menopausal periods.
1. Red Clover
Red clover (or Trifolium pratense) is often seen as a flowering weed, however, it has strong medicinal properties due to its plant compounds, isoflavones, which have estrogenic effects on the body.
Red clover has been shown to treat menopause symptoms in a few ways, primarily by reducing hot flashes, improving skin and hair health, and bone health.
Several studies conclude that red clover can improve menopausal symptoms such as decreasing hot flashes, heart palpitations, vaginal dryness, depression, and anxiety.
Red clover has also shown to improve other common menopausal symptoms such as libido, sleep, hair health (better texture and less fragility), and skin (better texture and more moisture).
Promensil, a dietary supplement of standardized red clover extract, has shown to significantly reduce menopausal hot flashes.
Summary:
Clinical studies suggest that red clover benefits menopause by reducing common symptoms such as menopausal hot flashes and poor skin and hair health.
2. St. John’s wort
St. John’s wort (or Hypericum perforatum) is a plant native to Europe with a long history of use for managing mild to moderate depression. St. John’s wort can be beneficial for many of the mental health complaints associated with menopause.
This herb has shown to decrease fatigue and hot flashes, and improve sleep for perimenopausal women in a clinical study.
Another study showed the positive effect of St. John’s Wort on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women by decreasing the number of hot flash episodes, as well as their severity.
Dr. Aviva Romm, herbalist and women’s health expert, states that St. John’s wort can be used to help depression associated with menopause (2).
More research has shown that due to St. John’s wort’s strong antidepressant activity, it can significantly reduce depression in menopausal women. A study showed that 80% of menopausal women no longer had depression after two months of supplementing with St. John’s wort.
Summary:
Research and traditional herbalism indicates that St. John’s Wort works to reduce symptoms of depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
3. Vitex
Vitex (Chasteberry or Vitex agnus-castus) is an herb commonly used to support women’s reproductive health. This plant has been shown to help menopausal women by reducing hot flashes.
Vitex used topically as an essential oil on perimenopausal and postmenopausal women has shown to have a significant improvement on overall emotional well-being and reduce hot flashes and night sweats.
Another study supports the use of vitex as a treatment for reducing the number and severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women.
An herbal formula of vitex, black cohosh, dong quai, milk thistle, red clover, and American ginseng has shown to be effective in relieving menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, as well as improving overall sleep quality.
Summary:
Vitex shows evidence for being able to reduce symptoms of menopause, specifically for reducing hot flash severity and night sweats.
4. Motherwort
Motherwort (or Leonurus cardiaca) is a medicinal plant commonly used for strengthening the heart and supporting the nervous system. Research shows that motherwort can help alleviate menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, and heart palpitations.
A study on menopause used a varying combination of herbs, with motherwort as one of the most common herbs used and found that it can be used as a relaxant and gynecological tonic, efficient in managing hot flashes.
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