An Insight Into 21st Century Herbal Medicine – What Herbs Are Used to Treat Menopause Symptoms
There is a long tradition of treating unpleasant and debilitating menopausal symptoms with medicinal plants. This knowledge has been passed down through the ages and now for the first time we are beginning to understand through scientific research how the plants work on the body at cellular level.
Menopause affects each woman in a unique way. An over-the-counter herbal remedy, which is aimed at the average menopausal woman, may relieve some of the symptoms but may not relieve others. Menopause symptoms can include depression, anxiety, insomnia, hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue, loss of libido, loss of memory to name just a few. So you can see that menopause can be a complex picture, which needs to have all the symptoms addressed before the woman can regain a sense of well-being. Medicinal plants containing phytochemicals called steroidal saponins are very effective in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. An example of such a plant is Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) (see below). The compounds in these medicinal plants may exert an oestrogenic effect by binding with oestrogen receptors in the brain. This may alleviate the symptoms of declining oestrogen levels. Although phytoestrogen derived from plants is not as potent as oestrogen produced by the ovaries, it can still have a mild oestrogenic effect and convince the body that more oestrogen is present and thereby decrease symptoms of withdrawal. The hot flushes usually correlate to surges of luteinizing hormone (LH), which are triggered when the body senses that oestrogen levels are low. If phytoestrogens are present, LH surges and hot flushes diminish.
read moreIs Red Clover a Good Gout Herbal Medicine
Red clover has been used traditionally as gout herbal medicine for centuries due to its ability to remove toxins from the body. However, using red clover isn’t without its side effects. Scientists are now seeing that red clover thins the blood, so it should not be taken without the guidance of a doctor or other health professional. If you are already on anticoagulant medicine, red clover should not be used.
The properties within red clover that make it an effective gout herbal medicine are isoflavones. The isoflavones levels in red clover are 100 times higher than those of soy. This helps to heal inflammatory conditions, including gout, but also arthritis and eczema.
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