Chinese Herbs & Menopause
Menopause is the cessation of a woman's menstrual cycle, marking the end of her reproductive, childbearing years. This usually occurs in her 50s, and its symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats, weight gain, fatigue and mood swings. Traditional Chinese medicine uses herbs to help women cope with the effects of menopause on their bodies.
Alternative Medicine
As an alternative to the cancer risks associated with hormone replacement therapy for menopause, the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine states there are several formulas used for menopause.
Three Immortals
Three Immortals is a Chinese herbal formula that helps to stabilize a woman's hormonal balance and physiology as she transitions through the menopause process. Its ingredients include morinda root, curculingo rhizome, epimedium leaf, red date fruit, tang-kuei root, eclipta herb, ligustrum fruit, moutan cortex, lycium cortex, anemarrhena rhizome, phellodendron cortex and licorice root.
Great Yin
Great Yin calms the heat-related symptoms of menopause, such as night sweats and hot flashes. Its formula consists of processed tortoise shell, phellodendron cortex, rehmannia root and anemarrhena root.
Dioscorea
Dioscorea is a Chinese yam that rebalances the kidney yin. A kidney yin imbalance in menopause can cause hot flashes, gray hair and dryness, according to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
Six Flavor Teapills and Zizyphus Formula
Six Flavor Teapills is a Chinese herb formula used to treat kidney yin deficiency. It contains peony root, poria cocos fungus, alisma plantago aquatica, cornus officinalis, Rehmannia glutinosa and dioscorea opposite. The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine claims Zizyphus Formula treats night sweats. It contains ziziphus spinosa, poria cocos fungus, ligusticum wallichii root, anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizome and glycyrrhiza uralensis/licorice root.
Considerations
The University of Minnesota suggests that a woman should try Chinese herbs under the care of a health care professional to see if they effectively relieve her menopausal symptoms. It also notes that in traditional Chinese medicine, people use the herbs in combination with dietary improvements, physical exercise and therapeutic energy rebalancing of their bodies, as in acupuncture and massage.
Tags: College Oriental, College Oriental Medicine, night sweats, Oriental Medicine, Pacific College