Menopause causes numerous changes in the female body and the worst fallout of menopause is a condition which is known as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition which is caused by the steady dissolution of calcium from the bones leading to brittle and weak bones which are more prone to fractures.  In a Woman’s body when she is ovulating, there is no problem. However after menopause the calcium starts dissolving from the bones and her bones gets brittle and weak and prone to fractures. In such condition the usual and conventional treatment procedure is to start giving estrogen hormone supplementation. This method is still controversial and it has still not been considered as a sure shot therapy for osteoporosis in menopausal women. However calcium supplementation in the form of special herbal remedies for menopause has been found to produce good results and slowing the process of Osteoporosis.

The common herbs which are very rich in calcium include- Amaranth, Chinese Dodder, Dandelion Greens, and Watercress which can be considered as excellent herbal remedies for menopause initiated osteoporosis. Another fact which has endeared to the medical community for trying out herbal remedies of menopause induced osteoporosis is estrogen stimulating herbs like Anise, Psoralea, Chinese Yam, and Licorice which have been used for centuries to treat menopausal syndromes and discomfort. However a word of caution- Do Not Use Licorice for extended periods especially if you suffer from hypertension. Another very good estrogen stimulating substance is the Soy protein. Estrogen  is not only important for helping to slow down the process of osteoporosis, it is also required for maintaining the integrity of the vagina, bladder, breasts, skin, arteries and even your heart and brain since all these organs have estrogen receptors. Estrogen also plays a very important role in maintaining the body temperature. Reduction of Estrogen levels in the blood is the prime cause of hot flushes during menopause.

One of the greatest benefits herbal remedies for menopause is its easy availability, affordable cost, natural and safe.  Conventional treatment of Menopausal syndrome is fraught with danger and unpredictable results.

Menopause or the cessation of ovulation is a common process found in all women if you consider some exceptions. Menopause causes a lot of discomfort in a Woman and these are known as Menopausal syndromes since many of the symptoms can defy logic and hence has been aptly dubbed as a syndrome. The woman going through the phase of menopause becomes very irritable and also suffers from much physical discomfort like smooth muscle spasm similar to menstrual cramps but at a higher degree, hot flushes, osteoporosis and other forms of discomfort. She also looses interest in sex and coitus can be sometimes very uncomfortable or painful. Other symptoms can include one, a few or all of the following- anxiety, fatigue, dry skin, bloating, heart palpitations, headaches, hot flashes, insomnia, irritability, mood swing, night sweats, and weight gain etc.

These symptoms can be alleviated by taking herbal remedies for menopause.  These herbal remedies for menopause along with a controlled diet can help much in alleviating most of the symptoms associated with menopause. There are many herbs which are natural estrogen (a sex hormone) promoters and it can help to relieve numerous painful symptoms of menopause. One very important attributes of menopause is depression. The lady who is in the menopause stage feels depressed that she is losing her feminity and will also lose the admiration of the males. Hence it is very important to get over the anxiety and depression and the near and dear ones will have a very large role to play to reassure such woman. Herbal anti-depressants like tincture of St John’s wort, rose, vervain or oats have been found to be very effective in treating the mild and transient cases of depression associated with menopause. In the next blog post I shall talk about very important fallout of Menopause which is Osteoporosis and how it can be treated with herbal remedies for menopause.

Before I go into the nitty gritty of herbal remedies for menopause let me first explain the phenomenon known as menopause and why it occurs. Every woman after the age of puberty starts menstruating which is the end process of a process known as ovulation. The ova are released by the ovary which is the sexual organs of the female.  Once every 28 days a ripe ovum is released from the ovary and starts its long journey through the fallopian tubes and settles in the uterus. At some time during this journey the ova becomes ripe to be fertilized by the sperm which are released in the vagina during coitus. The sperm which is motile swims towards the ova and fertilizes it. Among the millions of sperms, only one is able to fertilize the ovum and the rest dies.  If the ovum is not fertilized it continues its journey and reaches the uterus where after some time it disintegrates and is expelled out along with the lining of the uterus in a process which is known as menstruation. The process of ovulation is initiated by hormones and continues till the age of 40 to 45 and slowly stops. The process of the stopping of ovulation is known as Menopause. The name Menopause is a bit confusing since this phenomenon is permanent and menses is not paused but stopped.

Just like in a female body when it attains puberty, when a lot of changes takes place in her body like the development of breast, hairs and of course menstruation, the stopping of ovulation or menopause also causes a lot of changes in the female body and these are known as menopausal syndromes and can vary a great deal from woman to woman. The process of menopause is not abrupt and slowly after the age of 30, the ovaries start producing fewer ova and these progresses till the age of 40 when it completely stops. Like the process of puberty which is initiated by hormones, the process of menopause is caused by cessation of the production of hormones particularly the sex hormones. In the next post I shall talk about both the conventional methods of tackling menopausal syndromes as well as herbal remedies for menopause and how they are a shade better than the conventional therapies.