Herbs for Women
So many women have asked me what to do for the “crazies”, hot flashes, night sweats, ups and downs, weight gain, body aches and/or other discomforts of starting menopause.
Hormonal changes seemed to revolve, for me, in a long cycle for 2 years.
Here are some herbs and actions that I found helpful. Every woman is different, of course, and trial and error and intuition are good to exercise in finding what works for you. You can also have blood work done to find out any vitamin or hormonal imbalances. There are some good companies online. I can vouch for Lifeforce.com .
Hot flashes = Wild Yam capsules. 1-2 daily of these worked for me for over a year taking away my hot flashes and night sweats!. After about a year I needed other herbs for support.
Thyroid support = Chlorophyll, liquid mint flavor is my preference, 1 oz daily as needed. Lemon Balm is another herb excellent for the thyroid as well as hyssop, kelp, red algae, and alfalfa.
Iron = If you are anemic or a heavy bleeder and feel depleted of energy regularly, it may be iron. Iron needs vitamin C to digest. My favorite forms of iron are molasses, beets, seaweeds, apricots, eggs and beef. An excellent easy to assimilate Calcium/Iron/mineral supplement is Floradix Iron with Herbs. You can find it in health food stores. It comes in liquid form.
I now take Bromelain (from pineapple) to help digest proteins for better iron absorption.
Calcium = sesame seeds, tahini, yogurt, kefir, spinach. Nettles brings magnesium in for better calcium absorption.
I make an herbal calcium blend which includes: nettle, oat straw, shave grass, marjoram, dandelion greens, thyme, oregano, ginger, sesame, flax, and pumpkin seeds. I will soon be offering this on the tstonics.com website.
Vinaigrette Recipe:
Add the above herbs ground together into olive oil and vinegar with a little salt and lemon for a nutrient rich vinaigrette dressing for salads. I will also add a spoonful into the morning smoothie or into soups, meat and veggie dishes.
For Balanced Hormones= Vitamin E lowers estrogen and balances hormones! Take it with Selenium for absorption.
Herbs helpful for women going through menopause: Damiana, hyssop, raspberry leaf, gota kola, eleuthero (ginseng), yarrow, chickweed, sage, dandelion root, lady’s mantle. These can be found in our Women’s Tea.