life stages 151
and quinoa. In addition, eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Lots of
sprouted seeds, along with tofu and other soy products, will also help, as
well as fennel, garlic, fenugreek, rosemary, sage, and bananas. All of these
foods are rich in natural hormones. Take superfood daily. If you wish, you
can also take one tablespoon of bee pollen daily.
herbs
- Herbs to help general menopausal symptoms are very diverse, but
here are just some: chaste tree berry, saw palmetto berry, vervain leaf,
licorice root, dong quai root, Astragalus root, angelica root, yarrow leaf,
sage leaf, lobelia leaf, hawthorn berry, dandelion root, black cohosh
root, sarsaparilla root, hop strobilus, and wild yam root. - Herbs to help hot fl ashes, sweating, and insomnia include many of
the above, but low blood sugar can also produce these symptoms, so
it would be worth testing blood glucose levels. - Herbs to help calm the nervous system include valerian root, hop
strobilus, wild lettuce leaf, oat straw, and pasquefl ower. - To promote sleep at night (beyond sleeplessness associated with hot
fl ashes and sweating), use valerian root and passionfl ower. - To help with depression, use St. John’s wort fl ower.
- Herbs to help adrenal glands weakened by stress and hot fl ashes in-
clude Siberian ginseng root, wild yam root, and Chinese licorice root. - Make sure your intake of calcium and magnesium is good and well-
balanced. - Liver health is important with regard to the balanced and even fl ow
of hormones, and a liver cleanse is always helpful. Also drink dande-
lion root tea and put fresh dandelion leaves in salads. Consider milk
thistle seed, artichoke leaf, and other liver herbs. - If you already have a heart problem or high blood pressure, seek pro-
fessional advice on treating the two problems together. Take haw thorn
blossom, leaf, and berry and possibly motherwort leaf. - Sometimes the immune system can become weakened with all this
hormonal fl uctuation; take echinacea root and Siberian ginseng root. - For vaginal dryness caused by decreased estrogen, take Pfaffi a root
internally, as it stores sisterol, which produces enough estrogen to
help the situation without producing an excess. It is also a very sup-
portive herb that generally acts as an adaptogen and immune sup-
porter. Diet and lifestyle adjustments will eventually balance enough
to produce more lubrication. Meanwhile, make a mix of slippery elm
powder with aloe vera gel, and teaspoon it into the vagina while lying
151 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition