Herbs & Natural Remedies for Menopause

Menopause is the permanent cessation of a woman's menstrual periods. When women go through menopausal transition, they can experience physical, emotional and mental changes. Subtle or dramatic symptoms can accompany these changes. In many cases, the conventional treatment used to manage menopause-related symptoms is hormone replacement therapy. However, some women may prefer to use alternative treatments like herbs and natural remedies for menopause.

Menopause Overview

• As a woman ages, the ovaries produce smaller amounts of hormones. These hormones, which include estrogen and progesterone, control the cyclic functioning of the ovaries (ovulation). Natural menopause occurs because the ovaries cease producing these hormones. A woman reaches menopause when she goes through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. After this time, a woman is in her postmenopausal years.

  In most women, natural menopause can occur between the ages of 45 and 55. However, menopause-related symptoms can begin years earlier during the transitional stage called perimenopause.

Symptoms

• During perimenopause, symptoms do vary in women and can range between mild and severe. Some common symptoms of both perimenopause and menopause are hot flashes, sleeping problems, night sweats, changing moods (depression, anxiety), fatigue, hair loss and concentration problems. Although hormone replacement treatment may help with some symptoms, there are risks associated with HRT (see the Resources sections). Because of these risks factors, women may be utilizing herbs and natural remedies for menopause. Some commonly used herbal remedies include black cohosh, dong quai, ginseng and St. John's wort.

Black Cohosh

• Black cohosh, a plant native to eastern North America, has a long history of medicinal use among Native Americans. Today, black cohosh is a dietary supplement purportedly used by many women for hot flashes and other symptoms associated with menopause. The dried root and rhizome are the plant parts utilized for medicinal purposes. Black cohosh contains active ingredients such as fukinolic acid and triterpene glycosides. There have been clinical studies conducted to determine black cohosh's effectiveness on menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. However, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) reports that some of these studies had mixed results, while one study funded by NCCAM showed negative results.

Dong Quai

• Dong quai, well-known in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of women's health problems, is sometimes called the "female ginseng." It is also a commonly used herbal remedy for treating menopausal symptoms because dong quai is believed by some to exhibit estrogenic activity in the body. According to the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, more research is necessary to conclusively show whether dong quai has estrogen-like actions in the body. In another clinical study, researchers reported that it was not useful for hot flashes.

Ginseng/Kava

• Ginseng herbal supplements, derived from the roots of the plant Panax ginseng, are popularly used for many health conditions that inclued chronic fatigue, infections and menopause. It contains the active components called ginsenosides. NCCAM reports that while ginseng may be beneficial for some symptoms like mood swings and sleep problems, it is not useful for hot flashes.

  Kava is a plant native to some Pacific Ocean islands. A non-alcoholic beverage, made from the mashed root of the kava played a significant role in the ceremonies of the natives of these islands. Today, it is an herbal remedy utilized for anxiety. Some clinical trials have studied the value of kava for menopause-related symptoms. The results of these trials showed that, although it may not be useful for hot flashes, kava could decrease anxiety.

Other Natural Remedies

• In ancient Greece, St. John's wort had many medicinal uses. The flower part of this plant is utilized for the preparation of teas, tablets and extracts. Herbalists recommend this plant for depression, mental and sleep disorders. In a study to investigate the efficacy of St. John's wort in treating psychological problems associated with menopause, researchers found that this herbal remedy might be beneficial in relieving some symptoms.

  Other herbal or natural remedies commonly used for menopause are soy, DHEA, vitamin E, evening primrose oil, wild yam, licorice and chaste tree. The Mayo Clinic suggests that exercising, doing yoga and eating a well-balanced diet may also help to manage some of the symptoms.

Consideration

• Although many women may choose alternative methods to treat and manage the symptoms of menopause, they should be aware that there are some side effects and problems associated with the use these herbal remedies. Black cohosh can cause liver problems and women with liver disorders should avoid this supplement. Using kava and dong quai may also have some adverse effect on some women (see the Resources section). Before taking any of these herbal remedies, women should speak with their doctors.