Herbal Alternatives
st johns wort - ginseng - maca

There are some herbal products that seem to help some women. Phytoestrogens are plant compounds found in soy and black cohosh, the so-called "genistein herbs", but more recently "adaptogenic" herbs such as maca root, gotu kola and the three ginsengs (american, korean, siberian) have shown that plant sterols may be more effective than plant phytoestrogens for long term use as an alternative to traditional HRT.


 

Recently, the American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) issued the following guidelines on the most popular "alternative" medicines for menopause:
  • St Johns wort - May be helpful in the short-term (2 years or less) to treat mild to moderate depression in women (when given in doses of less than 1.2 milligrams a day.) A recent study showed it is not effective in treating severe depression but in mild to moderate depression it showed similar effectiveness to popular prescription antidepressants with less side effects.
  • Ginseng - Most of the many types of ginseng (including Siberian, Korean, and American, white and red), are promoted for relieving stress and boosting immunity. A study of menopausal women by the leading ginseng manufacturer found the product improve women's sense of well being.

    And the following news release came out regarding maca, a Peruvian plant better known for its successful clinical trials as a libido booster for both men and women:
  • Maca root - South American Herb maca alternative to hormone replacement therapy (truncated)

    July 11, 2002 -- Rather than face the now-proven risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), an estimated six million women may now be searching for other options to help relieve menopausal symptoms. One option that is likely to become more familiar to women and their practitioners is the Peruvian herb maca.

    The search for safer alternatives to HRT intensified this week after reports were issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH), indicating that the use of combination estrogen/progestin drugs in healthy menopausal women increases the risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots, outweighing the drugs’ possible health benefits. NIH stopped a large-scale clinical trial and recommended the 16,000 participants stop taking the estrogen/progestin drugs immediately.

    New York-based anthropologist Viana Muller, Ph.D., has been making collecting/study trips to Peru since 1989, exploring both the rainforest and Andes Mountains in search of effective herbal remedies unknown to North Americans. According to Dr. Muller, women who are stopping HRT may want to explore using maca root extract with one of the growing number of healthcare practitioners who are familiar with herbal medicine.

    Says Dr. Muller, “Maca has been used successfully by native people of Peru for hormonal imbalances, menstrual irregularities, fertility, and menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss ofenergy, libido and depression.”

    Since introducing maca to medical doctors at the Anti-Aging Medical Conference 1997, Dr. Muller has seen a dramatic increase in the use of this medicinal herb practitioners in the U.S.

    Research has shown that maca contains no plant hormones, unlike soy/genistein and black cohosh. Instead, its action relies on plant sterols, which act as chemical triggers to help the body itself produce a higher level of hormones appropriate to the age and gender of the person taking it. Clinical case studies have shown that maca can be effective forpremenstrual syndrome (PMS), as well as menopausal symptoms, and may help symptoms of hypothyroidism as well.

    Alan Warshowsky, M.D., is an ob-gyn who serves as Director of Women’s Health at the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Hospital in New York. Says Dr. Warshowsky: "At least 50 percent of my menopausal patients are using maca and doing well. I don’t recommend the genistein supplements made from soy, since research has shown that they can have a stimulating effect on breast cancer cells.”

    Karen Paris, a Physician’s Assistant of the Atkins Center in New York, the clinic founded by famed weight loss expert Robert Atkins, M.D., has said that the clinic began using organic maca root extract last year, finding it more effective for their menopausal patients than the phytoestrogenic herbs.