By Siri Baldeep

You are a goddess! As every beautiful goddess before you, and like all the great goddesses after you, we will all experience menopause as part of the beauty of womanhood. The transition into becoming a “wise” woman and going through menopause is part of the secrets of being a woman that only we as the divine feminine tribe must go through and really only we can understand.

Culturally, we think about menopause as a condition that needs to be medicalized; from hormone replacement to antidepressants to estrogen lubricants. As one of my wise herbal medicine teachers would never let us forget… “Menopause is not a disease!” It is just another state of being for a woman… with a whole lot of hormonal changes that don’t have to rule you! A woman has not gone through this much hormonal change since puberty. During menopause, she’s nearly going through puberty although this time around more consciously.

Honoring this phase of your life and feeling vibrant during menopause is possible… Start by looking at the foods that you consume or may not consume. Iron rich foods help to lessen feelings of exhaustion, fatigue and stress. They also help to heighten your energy and strengthen your blood oxygen. There are many foods with lots of iron; beets and their greens, alfalfa, apricots, bran, tofu, watercress, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, oats, eggs, raisins, parsley, seaweed, spinach, and sunflower seeds.

There are also many useful herbs to help with menopause…

Vitex

Also called Chaste Tree or Vitex agnus-castus, is one of the best herbal hormone regulators. When the berries of this plant are taken, the herb works to normalize pituitary gland functioning specifically relating to progesterone levels. The beauty of Vitex is that works to normalize any hormonal imbalance in relation to women’s reproductive health, a.k.a. her sex hormones. At menopause progesterone levels lessen and Vitex can be used to help a women’s body adapt to this change.

Dong Quai

Also called Angelica sinensis, is another helpful herb during menopause. So many of the symptoms associated with menopause are similar to the symptoms of adrenal stress; such as feeling fatigued, irritable, anxious, depressed, and mood swingy. Once menopause has begun, the adrenal glands take over a lot of the work of the ovaries and produce small amounts of estrogen. Boosting the adrenal glands with good habits (such as eating healthfully and practicing stress relief techniques, YOGA!) before menopause and during menopause can help vitalize your adrenals. Dong Quai is great to help strengthen the glandular system ultimately lessening some of the undesirable symptoms of menopause. Dong Quai works to regulate the circulatory system and is high in iron and other minerals.

Black Cohosh

Cimicifuga racemosa, is the herb of all herbs to help you out with hot flashes, headaches, rapid heart beating, ringing in the ears, irritability and sleep disturbances associated with menopause and perimenopause (before you have officially stopped having a period for a full year). This herb is also excellent for relieving muscle pain and cramping.  This herb is a nice one to keep in tincture form by your bed, as it is useful upon waking up with menopausal sweats.

Ginseng and Sage

Both are great herbs to take for hot flashes as well. Ginseng will balance your body from cold and hot and sage tea is also helpful in relieving heat, especially excessive sweat. Try drinking Sage (Salvia officinalis) tea daily. Ginseng also helps with stamina and can heighten your energy.

Damiana

The lovin’ herb. The herb will heighten your libido as it works on your nervous system to calm and relax you especially in your pelvic region. Unwind and feel the love.

Gotu Kola and Ginkgo

Both of these are great herbs to help you with mental clarity and relief of excessive mental fogginess. Also citrus based scents can help to awake and focus energy and brain capacity. These can all be used of course in addition to yogic breathing, such as alternate nostril breathing, which is so helpful in heightening energy and focus.

Ashwagandha

A calming herb, sedative for the nerves and helpful for adapting to stresses. Also, Ashwagandha is helpful for feelings of tiredness, lack of concentration and headaches. It is a very nutritive herb and also makes an excellent rejuvenation tonic. This herb from the Ayurvedic tradition has been used as an energy booster and also as a sexual tonic (an aphrodisiac or to correct imbalances). Enjoy its mood lifting effects.

* These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.