Women Health:Taking Hormones? These Herbs Are for You

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>Taking Hormones? These Herbs Are for You

>cSusun S. Weed

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>More and more American women are using herbal remedies to help them

>with menopausal problems. Those who do take ERT (estrogen

>replacement) or HRT (hormone replacement) may be surprised to

>discover that herbal medicine has a lot to offer them as well.

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>Herbs for women on ERT/HRT include those that alleviate side-effects

>as well as those that counter problems caused by the hormones.

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>Herbal Helpers Counter Side-Effects

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>Water Retention is the symptom most often cited for dissatisfaction

>with hormone replacement. Herbal tinctures and tea, such as dandelion

>or cleavers, and ordinary foods can not only relieve the distress,

>they will go to the root of the problem and help prevent recurrences.

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>� Dandelion root tincture (Taraxacum officinale) strengthens

>the liver and helps it process out the excess hormones you are

>taking. When the liver works well, the kidneys work better, and

>tissues no longer bloat. A dose is 10-20 drops in several ounces of

>water or juice 2-3 three times a day. If you have any digestion

>problems, take your dandelion before meals; otherwise, anytime is

>fine. You can safely take dandelion daily for months or years if you

>need or want to.

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>� Cleavers herb tincture (Galium molluga) tells the lymphatic

>tissues to get moving. Relief from edema is usually rapid when 20-30

>drops are taken in several ounces of water or juice. Repeat up to six

>times at hourly intervals if needed. Cleavers is especially helpful

>for easing swollen, sore breasts.

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>� Foods that relieve water retention include (in order of

>effectiveness): asparagus, nettles, corn (and corn silk tea), grapes,

>cucumbers, watermelon (and watermelon seed tea), parsley, celery,

>black tea, and green tea.

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>Headaches are the second most common side-effect of hormone use.

>Unfortunately, they are common among menopausal women not taking

>hormones, too. Herbs that help relieve headache without a drug-like

>action - such as dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle, burdock,

>garden sage, skullcap, and St. 's/Joan's wort - are generally

>considered safe to take with hormones.

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>� Chinese herbalists say headaches are caused by liver stress.

>My favorite liver-strengthening herbs are dandelion, yellow dock,

>milk thistle seed, and burdock. I use one at a time, a 15-25 drops of

>the tincture several times a day, for two weeks. If symptoms

>continue, I switch to a different herb.

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>� A strong tea of garden sage leaves (Salvia officinalis)

>offers immediate relief from headaches and helps prevent future ones.

>It also reduces night sweats.

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>� Tinctures of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and St.

>Joan's/'s wort (Hypericum perforatum) ease pain and relieve

>muscle spasms. Use 5-20 drops of skullcap and a dropperful of St.J's

>at the very first sign - no, the very first thought - of a headache.

>Repeat the doses every five minutes until pain free. Skullcap can be

>quite sedative, especially in large doses.

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>Herbal Allies That Prevent Problems Caused by Taking Hormones

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>Breast Cancer risk is increased 20% in women who use ERT for five or

>more years. Use of HRT for five or more years increases breast cancer

>risk by 40%. Each five years of continued use increases the risk. In

>addition, women who take ERT are far more likely to get uterine or

>endometrial cancers. All women on hormones increase their risks of

>lung and ovarian cancer, too. Nourishing herbs such as red clover,

>and foods such as beans and yogurt, offer easy ways to stay cancer-

>free.

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>� Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense), when dried and

>brewed into a strong infusion (one ounce herb steeped in a quart of

>boiling water for at least four hours) prevent cancer by providing

>phytoestrogens that counter the cancer-promoting effects of oral

>hormones. Usual dose is 2-4 cups a day. The infusion tastes like

>black tea and can be flavored with mint if you like.

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>� Beans, especially lentils, but also yellow split peas, black

>turtle beans, baby limas, Anasazi beans, and red kidney beans are

>also rich sources of anti-cancer phytoestrogens. Since uncooked beans

>and unfermented soy contain anti-nutritional factors that may promote

>bone loss and dementia, soy "milk" and tofu are not recommended. Miso

>and tamari definitely help to prevent breast cancer but soy

>isoflavones may promote it.

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>� Yogurt helps build powerful immunity. Women who eat a quart

>of yogurt a week have 700% less cancer than women who eat no yogurt.

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>Dry Eyes afflict more than 9% of women using ERT and over 7% of those

>on HRT. Risk increases by 70% for every year of continued use. And

>the longer a woman uses hormones, the greater her risk. Herbs such as

>oatstraw, chamomile, and chickweed can help relieve and prevent this

>problem.

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>� Oatstraw infusion (Avena sativa) cools and moistens your eyes

>from the inside out, builds strong bones too. Use one ounce of dried

>herb in a quart jar; fill to the top with boiling water and cap

>tightly. Let steep four or more hours. Dose is 2-4 cups a day.

>Refrigerate after straining.

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>� Cucumber slices ease dry eyes; so do chamomile tea bags.

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>� The ultimate ally for women with dry eyes is fresh chickweed

>(Stellaria media), applied as a poultice to the closed eyes. Leave on

>for five minutes, or until the plant material feels warm (it will

>heat up). Repeat as needed.

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>Stroke and Heart Attack are actually increased by use of ERT/HRT,

>though modern medicine has long proclaimed the opposite. Every major

>double-blind study done to date has created a larger and larger gap

>between ERT/HRT's supposed ability to help cardiovascular health and

>its actual results. Protect you heart with nourishing and tonifying

>herbs and foods such as motherwort, hawthorn, and cherries.

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>� Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) tincture helps the heart. The

>Japanese claim it is their secret of longevity. A dose is 5-15 drops,

>twice a day. Motherwort also relieves hot flashes, calms

>tachycardiia, and eases anxiety. It's an all-in-one remedy for

>menopausal women.

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>� Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha) flowers, leaves, and fruits

>are all used to maintain heart health and control fluid build-up in

>heart tissues. A dose is 20-30 drops of tincture 2-4 times a day, or

>a cup of tea with meals. This widespread shrub is considered one of

>the finest heart tonics in the world.

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>� Cherries are even better than apples at keeping the doctor

>away. Dried cherries and cherry juice, even tincture of cherries.

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>More than three-quarters of the women in America over the age of

>fifty have refused ERT/HRT. If you want to join them, taper off your

>dosage slowly, while continuing to use nourishing and tonifying herbs

>such as dandelion, motherwort, red clover, oatstraw, and seaweed. And

>pick up a copy of New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way,

>Alternative Approaches for Women 30-90. Meanwhile, these Wise Woman

>hints can help you stay healthy and counter the detrimental effects

>of hormone replacement.

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>

>Susun Weed

>PO Box 64

>Woodstock, NY 12498

>Fax: 1-845-246-8081

>

>

>Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ash-tree-publishing.com

>

>For permission to reprint this article, contact us at:

>susunweed@...

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>

>Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an

>international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings,

>and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional

>medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic

>knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and

>enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

>

>Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine

>and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books

>are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and

>are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn

>more at www.susunweed.com

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