CHINESE HERBS FOR MENOPAUSE
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Menopause, Pre-Menopause, and Post-Menopause.
Understanding the TCM perspective of menopause requires you to forget all about hormones. Understand, instead, that your body can be described in terms of yin and yang and qi and blood. Yang is body activity, movement, metabolism, and consequent heat. Your body's yin are its fluids, its circulation, and consequent nourishment, cleansing and cooling.
Discomforts accompaning "menopause are caused by diminished yin, yang, qi and blood, as well as constraints of flow caused, in part, by these deficiencies.
As these conditions vary from person to person, so do the symptom patterns of menopause. Symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, dryness, insomnia, fatigue, moodiness, neck and shoulder tension, depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure are among the most common.
Modern medicine treats menopause by supplementing the body's diminished hormones. Chinese herbs provide no hormones, but appear to supplement the yin, yang, qi, and blood; in other words, the energetic deficiencies underying these hormonal imbalances.
Seeing an experienced practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)is highly recommended, as correct and exact diagnosis is often essential to successful treatment.
If you are unable to find a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the following OTC Chinese herbal medicines may be helpful.
Dr. Shen's Two Immortals Pills
Da Bu Yin Wan
Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan
Haliotis 10
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
WARNING ABOUT BLACK COHOSH
Black cohosh is a Chinese herb often found in herbal products used for menopause. Though it is effective in reducing the "heat" of hot flashes, etc., it is misused for this purpose. Black cohosh (sheng ma) is best used for short periods to reduce EXCESS heat; that is, measurable fevers from illness, etc. Long term use of this herb is not recommended.
The "heat" experienced from hot flashes, night sweats, etc. is long term in nature and is known as DEFICIENCY heat. It is different from the "excess heat" of fevers. Deficiency heat is caused by a weak cooling system (the Yin). This heat is experienced but not measurable. There are far more suitable herbs than black cohosh for this kind of Yin deficient heat. The most notable being Zhi Mu (anemarrhena) which also reduces hot flashes and night sweats. In addition, zhi mu supplements the Yin of the body as well. These herbs are much more suitable than black cohosh for DEFICIENCY heat.
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