HERB - Re: Hormone Problem

[Walter J. Wakefield]

Here is a little more information for you.  

Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) was originally used to synthesize both
progesterone and estrogen, and also helps the body manufacture cortisone.
 So it should provide some of the hormones you may need.

Dong quai is a traditional Chinese herb used to normalize hormones and
reduce hot flashes.  It is a Chinese Angelica (can't find the exact name
just now).  Because dong quai is rather expensive, I also use regular
angelica (Angelica archangelica), though it is not as strong.

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) berries are also often recommended for
normalizing female hormones, and can aid PMS and menopause.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is another herb for normalizing
hormone function.  It can also function as a bit of a sedative, so might
help with the panic attacks.

David Hoffman, author of "The Holistic Herbal", among other books (an
excellent reference, by the way) says "Use motherwort [Leonurus cardiaca]
in place of St. John's wort if heart palpitations, high blood pressure or
tension are present."  So perhaps St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
might not be the best thing to lift the spirits.

For irritation and anxiety, you might consider mild sedatives like
chamomile (Anthemus nobile or Matricaria chamomilla), scullcap
(Scutellaria species), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and vervain
(Verbena officinalis).

Oats are a good source of several B vitamins, which are very good for the
nerves - eat more oatmeal, maybe.

Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon glutinosum) is good for compounding into a salve
for vaginal dryness.  (I used olive and almond oil, beeswax and cocoa
butter, yerba santa, wild yam, angelica, black cohosh and chaste tree,
and added oil of perrpemint - be careful not to get too much - and the
results have been very, uh, stimulating!)

You may need to try different combinations of herbs to see what works for
you.

I have found the hot flashes to be annoying, but survivable - I mostly
wear short sleeve shirts with a jacket that I can take off and put on. 
My mother, however, complained about hot flashes for 10 years or so.  I
have had more trouble with the increase in irritability, being somewhat
cranky to begin with!  I quit having periods at about age 48, so you are
not a whole lot early for menopause, just MUCH more sudden!  Hang in
there.  Just because you are having hot flashes doesn't mean you're old! 
(Consider them power surges...)  A positive attitude WILL help, even
though it is sometimes hard to maintain.  You have my sympathies.  Let me
know if there is anything else I can help with.

Suzanna, the Herbalist, Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
(Dallas, TX)

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