Menopausal Tea Recipe

Menopause is a natural process all women go thru beginning at about the age of fifty.  Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, night sweats, menstrual cycle changes, vaginal dryness and thinning, bone density loss, mood swings, weight gain, and more. Research in the past twenty years has indicated the use of synthetic hormones to treat menopausal symptoms may come with dangerous side effects such as increased chances of heart attack, stroke, and cancer.  More women have turned to herb based phytoestrogens to treat the symptoms.  Potential plants to help with symptoms include: soy and its isoflavone constituent, black cohosh, red clover, anise and fennel along with the anethole constituent, flaxseed, chaste berry, evening primrose, licorice, sage, passionflower, and valerian.

Here is a Menopausal Tea Recipe that I have found helpful.

Menopausal Tea Ingredients

• ​1/2 tsp of dried black cohosh root
• 1/2 tsp of dried chaste berry
• 1/2 tsp of dried sage leaf
• water
• honey

​Menopausal Tea Instructions

Heat two cups of water.  Pour over dried herbs and infuse for 10 minutes.  Strain herb material and drink as tea, add honey to taste.  Drink up to two cups a day.

Avoid during pregnancy and lactation.  May also interfere with certain medications and health conditions.  Click below to see more on contraindications for each herb.

• Black cohosh
• Chaste berry
• Sage leaf

Menopausal Tea Research

• In a randomized double blind trial of 304 patients, hot flashes were reduced in menopausal women with black cohosh extracts.From:  Osmers, R., Friede, M., Liske, E., Schnitker, J., Freudenstein, J., & Henneicke-von Zepelin, H. H. (2005). Efficacy and safety of isopropanolic black cohosh extract for climacteric symptoms. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 105(5, Part 1), 1074-1083.
• In a review of research, the following herbs showed useful for treating menstrual complaints:  vitamins B1 and E for dysmenorrhea, and calcium, vitamin B6, and chasteberry for premenstrual syndrome.  Black cohosh showed potential for treating menopause.  From: Dennehy, C. E. (2006). The use of herbs and dietary supplements in gynecology: an evidence‐based review. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 51(6), 402-409.
• A review of eight human studies showed black cohosh to be effective and safe in treating menopausal symptoms.  From:  Lieberman, S. (1998). A review of the effectiveness of Cimicifuga racemosa (black cohosh) for the symptoms of menopause. Journal of Women’s Health, 7(5), 525-529.
• In a six month controlled, randomized, double-blinded parallel group study, Cimicifugae racemosa extract improved menopause symptoms without an estrogenlike effect.  From:  Liske, E., Hänggi, W., Henneicke-von Zepelin, H. H., Boblitz, N., Wüstenberg, P., & Rahlfs, V. W. (2002). Physiological investigation of a unique extract of black cohosh (Cimicifugae racemosae rhizoma): a 6-month clinical study demonstrates no systemic estrogenic effect. Journal of women’s health & gender-based medicine, 11(2), 163-174.
• An herbal combination of black cohosh and St. John’s wort reduced menopausal symptoms in a double-blind randomized placebo-control study of 301 women.  From:  Uebelhack, R., Blohmer, J. U., Graubaum, H. J., Busch, R., Gruenwald, J., & Wernecke, K. D. (2006). Black cohosh and St. John’s wort for climacteric complaints: a randomized trial. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 107(2, Part 1), 247-255.
• Black cohosh reduced hot flashes in menopausal rats without an estrogenic effect.  From:  Burdette, J. E., Liu, J., Chen, S. N., Fabricant, D. S., Piersen, C. E., Barker, E. L., … & Bolton, J. L. (2003). Black cohosh acts as a mixed competitive ligand and partial agonist of the serotonin receptor. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 51(19), 5661-5670.
• Black cohosh reduced hot flashes in women with a low level of toxicity. From:  Pockaj, B. A., Loprinzi, C. L., Sloan, J. A., Novotny, P. J., Barton, D. L., Hagenmaier, A., … & Wisbey, J. A. (2004). Pilot evaluation of black cohosh for the treatment of hot flashes in women. Cancer investigation, 22(4), 515-521.
• Nine randomized placebo controlled trials were reviewed and data showed that black cohosh improved symptoms of menopause.  More research on the effectiveness and safety of the herb is warranted.  From:  Jane McCusker MD, D. (2010). Efficacy of black cohosh-containing preparations on menopausal symptoms: a meta-analysis. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 16(1), 36.
• In a Chinese randomized double blind controlled study, Cimicifuga racemosa extract was effective and safer than the drug tibolone in treating menopausal symptoms.  From:  Bai, W., Henneicke-von Zepelin, H. H., Wang, S., Zheng, S., Liu, J., Zhang, Z., … & Liske, E. (2007). Efficacy and tolerability of a medicinal product containing an isopropanolic black cohosh extract in Chinese women with menopausal symptoms: a randomized, double blind, parallel-controlled study versus tibolone. Maturitas, 58(1), 31-41.
• A randomized trial of 82 women demonstrated that black cohosh reduced hot flashes, night sweats, and depression in menopausal women.  From:  Saghafi, N., Mahmoodinya, M., Ayati, S., Behdani, F., Shakeri, M. T., & Rakhshandeh, A. (2013). Comparison of Effects of Black Cohosh and Fluoxetine in Treatment of Menopausal Symptoms. Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility, 15(32).
• In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 84 postmenopausal women, black cohosh reduced hot flashes.  From:  Shahnazi, M., Nahaee, J., Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi, S., & Bayatipayan, S. (2013). Effect of black cohosh (cimicifuga racemosa) on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of caring sciences, 2(2), 105.
• Essential oil from the leaf of chaste berry showed reduced menopausal symptoms.  From:  Lucks, B. C., Sørensen, J., & Veal, L. (2002). Vitex agnus-castus essential oil and menopausal balance: a self-care survey. Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery, 8(3), 148-154.
• Sixty postmenopausal women in a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study, chaste berry reduced hot flushes.  From:  Abbaspoor, Z., Hajikhani, N. A., & Afshari, P. (2011). Effect of Vitex agnus-castus on Menopausal Early Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo–Controlled Study.
• Among Korean menopausal women, clary sage inhalation, cortisol levels decreased and had an anti-depressant like effect.  From:, Lee, K. B., Cho, E., & Kang, Y. S. (2014). Changes in 5‐hydroxytryptamine and Cortisol Plasma Levels in Menopausal Women After Inhalation of Clary Sage Oil. Phytotherapy research, 28(11), 1599-1605.
• In this double blind, randomized trial of 34 females with incontinence, the inhalation of clary sage significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate and lowered stress during a urodynamic examination. From:  Seol, G. H., Lee, Y. H., Kang, P., You, J. H., Park, M., & Min, S. S. (2013). Randomized controlled trial for Salvia sclarea or Lavandula angustifolia: differential effects on blood pressure in female patients with urinary incontinence undergoing urodynamic examination. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(7), 664-670.

By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, Registered Aromatherapist (ARC), AIA and NAHA Member, LMT

4/11/18

This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use. These statements are not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. The information at this page has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Consult a Doctor before using herbs and essential oils if you have medical conditions, are taking medications, or have questions.