I’ve treated hundreds of women through the years for the hormonal changes associated with menopause. So I am always on the lookout for breakthroughs to help you relieve the unpleasant symptoms that come with this time of life.
Many alternative doctors have started using bio-identical HRT. While I am one of them, I have caution even there. I still believe that if God had meant you to have active estrogen in your body after age 50, your ovaries would not tire out then.
In the past, I’ve told you how pleased I’ve been with the herb black cohosh for menopause. Now there is exciting news that combining this wonderful herb with St. Johns wort will give you an even better result.
Researchers divided 301 women (all of whom were experiencing menopausal complaints for at least three months) into two groups. One group got a combination of an alcohol extract of St. Johns wort (containing 0.25 mg hypericine) and isopropanol black cohosh extract (containing one mg triterpene glycosides). The participants took the extract twice a day for the first eight weeks, then once a day for the remaining eight weeks. The other group received a placebo.
After 16 weeks, the active group was compared to the placebo group. Subjects in the active treatment group experienced significant reductions (a whopping 50%) in climacteric symptoms. The placebo group dropped only 19.6%. Psychological symptoms dropped 41.8%. But the placebo group dropped only 12.7%.
There were no significant differences in tolerability, adverse events, or lab changes. The authors pointed out that these wonderful results were comparable to women taking HRT for three months.
You wont see this study plastered all over the press. There wont be herbal ads on morning soap operas showing herbs work as well as Big Pharmas petrochemical or horse urine hormones. Its a tragedy that safe, natural remedies are deliberately ignored in favor of greed and profit.
If you have menopausal symptoms, please consider using these herbs instead of HRT. I’ve used both of these herbs for years. They are two of my favorites, and now combined, make prescription hormone therapy unnecessary for most. The herbal extracts are readily available individually at most health food stores.
Ref: Uebelhack R., J.U. Blohmer, et al. Black cohosh and St. Johns wort for climacteric complaints: a randomized trial, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2006; 107(2 Part 1): 247-55.