Herbal Healing For The Seasons Of Womanhood

Mother Earth, Earth Mother, is an enduring image that has eternally linked women with the earth. And like “Her,” on whose back we all ride, we, too, have our seasons. The spring of our womanhood the onset of menarche; then our summer, full of fertility, nourishing babes at breasts filled with sweet, abundantly nourishing milk. The fall finds us surging with menopausal changes that can and do make us as colorful as the autumn leaves.

Winter snows mirror the silvery white of our hair as we go deep within to find the wisdom and understanding of the crone, and beyond as we prepare for the next passage, reincarnating to a new beginning, meeting with heavenly hosts or old friends in happy hunting grounds or pushing up daisies depending on spiritual outlook. For each season and stage of the cycles so essential to our feminine nature, our sacred Mother Earth has provided a wonderful variety of plants, which can foster or recreate health and balance.

Cycles as Dependable as the Moon
Many women find their monthly cycles as dependable as the moon. Others have trouble settling in, experiencing shortened or irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, uterine congestion, intense pain, cramping and PMS. One of the premiere herbs for regulating menses (with documented uses as early as Greek and Roman times), is Chaste Tree Berry, (Vitex agnus-castus). Working on the hypothalamus and the pituitary to increase luteninizing hormone and mildly inhibiting the release of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), it shifts the ratio of estrogen/progesterone levels, to have progesterone like effect although it contains no progesterone. It is an effective remedy for premenstrual (PMS) and menopausal anxiety, irregular menses includ-ing abnormal lack of (amenorrhea) or multiple menses due to hormonal imbalances. It is also excellent in its ability to re-esta-blish normal menses after use of birth control pills. Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) has been used by Native Americans for time immem-orial in similar ways.

Black Cohosh’s ability to bind with estrogen receptors for a short time gives it both estrogen mimick-ing and blocking actions. Unlike Chaste Tree Berry, it does not seem to affect the release of either prolactin or FSH (making it an excellent remedy in menopause). It has a wide influence on the nerve centers and their supply of blood, and is of excellent use in menstrual disorders that include aching, muscular soreness and cool skin. Useful in amenorrhea, it will also control congestive dysmenorrhea (difficult or painful menses) and is effective in controlling PMS, cramping and other menstrual irregularities especially in young girls.

Two other commonly used herbs for menstrual cramping and other pain related to menses are Cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) and Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium). Both are effective antispasmodics and astringents. Black Haw produces muscular relaxation and has a tonic and soothing influence to the entire uterine structure. It can be used as a corrective tonic in persistent irregularity related to either duration or quantity of bleeding. Its sedative effect is excellent for PMS and erratic nervous conditions related to hormonal balance.

If irritability, depression or other emotional difficulties occur in relation to PMS, a combination of Skullcap, Oat Tops, Chamomile and Mint make a lovely soothing and refreshing tea that can be drunk anytime. Another herb that can be added to a pre-menstrual tea that can be used to reduce cramp-ing and aid in menses regulation, especially in young girls, is Rasp-berry Leaf. Add Dandelion for a mild diuretic effect in cases of pre-menstrual, water retention. Chewing on Parsley, a rich source of Vitamin C, can help with pre-menstrual water retention and it aids in bringing on menses.

Nourishing the Nurturer
During the fullness of our fertility, herbs can positively influ-ence many functions. For the optimum health of both mother and baby, it is of the utmost importance to seek the advice of a midwife experienced in herbal matters before taking any herbs.

There are a few herbs that are classic for pregnant women. One is Red Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus) has a long tradition of use in pregnancy. It strengthens and tones the tissue of the womb, assisting contractions and check-ing any hemorrhage during labor. Full of nourishing minerals it supports both baby and mother, reducing exhaustion, rebalancing mineral salts and reducing dehy-dration.

Combining Red Raspberry, Nettles (Urtica dioica) in a daily tea is a wonderful thing for a woman to do at any age, but especially during pregnancy. Nettles rebuilds blood especially in anemic people, excellent in cases of blood loss from heavy bleeding or the anemia that arises during pregnancy. Nettles helps to stop bleeding, especially uterine bleeding, including spotting or threatened miscarriage. Adding a little mint to the tea will also aid in reducing the digestive upset so common in early stages of pregnancy.

Probably the premiere herb to prevent miscarriage is Black Haw (Crampbark will also work). Reliable in emergencies it is also good in cases of habitual mis-carriage and can be given in advance and taken regularly throughout the first three months, or the time of miscarriage. It bears repeating that none of these herbs should be taken by a preg-nant woman without the aid of a health professional experienced in the use of herbal remedies.

Sailing Through the Change
With so many baby boom women going through menopause this is a hot topic these days. Used for ages by Native Americans for women’s health and rheumatic joint pain, Black Cohosh optimizes estrogen levels making it effective for hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and mood swings. Its actions as a nerve sedative make it effective for headaches associated with menopause, depression, anxiety and irritability. Vitex is also effec-tive in reducing menopausal symptoms and hot flashes.

One of my favorite menopausal herbs is Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). As its Latin name suggests its heart strengthening qualities have been well documented. It is especially use-ful for palpitations of the heart so often found in the early stages of menopause. It has been considered a specific treatment for con-ditions of hormonal imbalance and nervous tension. Tremendously effective for hot flashes (especially those triggered by nervous tension), it is also used to improve circulation, lower blood lipids, for nerve pain asso-ciated with herpes or shingles, and may help an overactive thyroid but does not depress normal thyroid function.

Throughout our lives our estrogen levels have stimulated our bones to retain calcium and do their daily bone building activity. Including dietary soy products and Red Clover (Trifol-ium pratense) with their natural phytoestrogens gives the body an estrogenic boost for better calcium absorption.

Adding herbs such as nettles, dandelion root, alfalfa or wild oat tops, horsetail herb (all high in minerals), to a regime of eating a well-balanced diet high in grains and dark green leafy vegetables, reducing alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverage consumption (all of which rob minerals) and daily weight-bearing exercise can mediate the effects.

Menopausal Teas
A great daily menopausal tea that is as delicious as it is helpful includes Nettles (minerals), Burdock (aids liver in hormonal metabolism), Dandelion (minerals, aids kidney function) Red Clover (estrogenic, aids liver in blood purification) Oat Tops (nervine for irritability, minerals), Skullcap (irritability), Red Raspberry (uterine tonic) mother-wort (hot flashes, heart palpitations, minerals, digestion, supports nerve functions) and Peppermint (digestion and cooling flavor). Taking one to three cups of this menopausal tonic tea a day is most helpful.

The things most difficult for menopausal women are usually the irritability, sleep disturbances, emotional upset, and hot flashes and night sweats. To aid in sweeter sleep, a cup of Skullcap, Hops, Passionflower and Mint drunk 20 minutes before bed can often help. Keeping another half of cup near the bedside when you awaken with a hot flash, night sweat or other disturbance and drunk at room temperature while reading some poetry (not a “pageturner” novel) by candlelight can help you return to sleep. Keeping a dry soft towel by the bed to cover damp spots rather than getting up and changing sheets or lying in the damp is also helpful.

Known by some as “power surges,” hot flashes can be trig-gered by stress and any form of heat including the weather, your lover’s body, hot coffee, tea, or chile, alcohol and smoking. Hot flashes are caused by the disrup-tion of the estrogen/FSH feedback mechanism to the pituitary due to a lack of viable eggs in the ovaries. The body, responding to a low-ered estrogen level, “storms” the hypothalamus with adrenaline to get it moving.

The hypothalamus also affects the body’s temperature control center, turning up your internal thermostat as part of its response. The heart palpitations many women experience are also caused by the increased adrenaline in this hormonal cascade. After a while the body learns how to regulate at the lowered estrogen levels, but until then life can be tough. All the hormone balancers, including Vitex, Black Cohosh, Motherwort, and Wild Yam are helpful here, as is remembering that this is a normal part of this season of our lives and will soon pass.

Mitigating the Unexpected
Perhaps the most difficult thing for a woman is when things aren’t going as Mother Nature planned. This seems to be happen-ing more and more, and in no small part is due to the numerous estrogen mimicking and blocking manmade chemicals that saturate our environment. Endometriosis, the rising rates of breast and other reproductive cancers, fibroids and infertility have all been linked to our expo-sures.

As a preventative, utilizing soy foods and other phytoestro-gens found in herbs (Red Clover, Hops) can limit our exposures by blocking estrogen receptors with weak estrogen-like plant substances that prevent the uptake of the damaging longer acting artificial enviro-estrogens.

Crampbark, due to its anti-spasmodic, sedative and nervine qualities, has been used by native peoples for many kinds of cramping pains. It is notable for its ability to ease pelvic pains due to uterine fibroids, endometriosis and ovarian cysts. Chaste Tree Berry is another remedy for uterine fibroids, as it seems to slow their growth through its lowering of excess estrogen in the body. Blue Cohosh’s wide influence on reproductive organs is well documented and it is widely used for uterine pain, ovarian neuralgia, endometriosis, endometriosis pain and inter-menstrual pain occurring at the time of ovulation resulting from irritation or bleeding from the ovaries (Mittelschmerz).

Other herbs that can be of service include Yarrow Flower (lessens bleeding and tonifies); Wild Yam (balancing hormones); Sarsaparilla Root (supports hormone balance and improves lymphatic flow); Yellow Dock (liver support/ added iron); Red Root (lympha-tic flow); Dandelion (kidney, diuretic); and Evening Primrose Oil (hormone production and regulation, nerve transmission, reduction of inflammation and swelling, mediating immune response).

Infertility and the ever-increasing number of hysterecto-mies due to reproductive cancers and the hormone replacement therapy that so often follows is a huge topic; far greater than can be touched upon here. The information contained here is for educational purposes only. Women are encouraged to seek the care of a health professional experienced in the use of herbal medicine to avail themselves of the many remedies our Earth Mother has provided for each of the seasons of our womanhood.

Sources include:
Tori Hudson, Mary Bove, Medicines from the Earth, June 1997. Tori Hudson, David Winston, Medicines from the Earth, June 1998. Francesca Naish, Medicines from the Earth, June 1999. The Herbal Menopause Book, by Amanda McQuade Crawford. A Complete Herbal, by Maude Grieve. Holistic Herbal, by David Hoffman.hile