Adaptogenic Herbs and New Perspectives on Life Stages
Plants Useful for Mitigating Perimenopausal Symptoms
I don't usually advise on medicinal plants because, as we discuss the symbolic or folkloric aspects of plants in this blog, mixing topics could lead to negligence. However, I don't want to leave a reader without a response, especially one who is having a very uncomfortable climacteric phase and, despite visiting her gynecologist, wants to consider other options besides hormone replacement therapy.
My Personal Stance on Alternative Medicine
According to the World Health Organization, "alternative medicine" is a term used exclusively in countries where there is no integration between traditional medicine—such as indigenous, Chinese, or Ayurvedic medicine—and Western allopathic medicine, as is the case in Uruguay.
In recent years, innovative forms of “alternative medicines” and “holistic therapies” have emerged, differing significantly from the WHO's definition. The common denominator of these "medicines" with "eclectic" proposals and imprecise scopes seems to be the use of medical scientific terminology—like the word "therapy"—and non-medical jargon such as "quantum healings" using the language of physical sciences. One must ask whether the use of scientific terminology is merely a ploy, implying from the outset a dishonest proposal, or if it's our culture and way of communication that equips its practitioners with scientific language that seems to legitimize them. One of the problems, then, is how to define alternative medicine; here, I use the WHO definition, excluding crystal healings, Pleiadian masters, Himalayan salts, and other New Age practices.
I have always been attracted to plants; they seem to me to be fascinating living beings—especially trees—whose intelligence we are only just beginning to discover. Along with my emotional experience, my love for botanical drawing, magical folklore, and their curative properties bordering on the potentially toxic, this interest was serendipitously encouraged by a little-known work called The Life of Trees:
"Whatever profession you practice, at some point you will wonder if you are wasting your time, even if the activity you are engaged in is not harmful. Whether you are a merchant, archbishop, fisherman, musician, or doctor; sooner or later you will feel like you are wasting your time. There is only one exception: if you plant trees, it is certain that what you are doing is right." Francis Hallé in La vie des arbres
Thus, I find myself in a position to support, within the realm of alternative medicines, what we can practically call "herbal medicine," although in reality, all expressions of traditional medicine make use of the properties—real or imagined—of plants.
It could be argued, and it would be true, that the curative potential of plants is leveraged by allopathic medicine and that the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly investing in the research of active principles for the development of clinically proven effective medications. It could also be said, and it would be equally true, that no plant, by itself, is capable of curing chronic diseases, traumas, does not serve to relieve acute pain, does not cure infections, and is totally useless in genetic diseases, fertility treatments, diseases requiring surgery, etc. It is even true that, when misused and after their initial effect, plants can generate a nocebo effect and worsen a disease due to lack of proper treatment in due time. All true.
Personally, I would add that, concerning our country, Uruguay, the oral transmission of popular knowledge has been lost, gradually being replaced by the "holistic therapies" mentioned above. I think that, precisely, this is one of the reasons why plant therapeutics should be recovered, as a form of resistance against globalization that robs us of our memory.
Moreover, half of industrial drugs come from plants, and some more synthetically imitate active substances. Chemical industries do not randomly choose which plants to investigate for the development of effective medications; it would not only be expensive but also a waste of valuable time—in capitalist ethics, time is money—in blind trial and error. What increases the chances of success for the pharmaceutical industry is listening to the ancestral use of certain plants in diverse human groups; for example, the fashionable CBD cannabidiol, which is now commercially exploited with great success and has led to the legalization of marijuana consumption for business exploitation, comes from investigating why many people claimed its efficacy.
But where plants are truly effective is in prevention, delaying the onset of chronic diseases as varied as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, bradycardia due to hypotension, conditions potentially as serious as anemia, insomnia, constipation, and hormonal imbalances, or as annoying as skin rashes, symptoms associated with natural processes like menopause, and a long etcetera, resulting in better medical prognosis of diseases and fewer accumulated side effects from prolonged use of prescription and over-the-counter medications, about which there is also much misinformation and negligent use. The complex chemical interaction of all plant compounds far exceeds that of isolated active principles, generally with fewer side effects.
With the irreplaceable loss of this knowledge, written records gain greater importance. This dialectical relationship of complementarity between popular and academic knowledge is what I personally advocate.
Plants with Positive Effects on Climacteric or Perimenopause
I'm sure "symptoms" is not the best word to describe the reality because, after all, menopause is not a disease or a decrease in health by itself; perhaps "indications" or "signals" are more appropriate words, but it is also true that most people searching for this type of information will not use these words.
I fully support that women visit the gynecologist regularly, get routine tests and all those that our particular situations require—pap smears, mammograms, colposcopies, NAT, etc.—as well as self-breast exams and paying attention to the messages our bodies send. With this introduction, I speak from my humble position as a biological woman approaching fifty:
There are still societies today where women do not go through menopause as dramatically; our Western culture—with all its benefits, such as allopathic medicine—does not favor this natural transition of women to the non-reproductive stage, due to our lifestyle with diet, stress, social valuation, etc. Hormone replacement therapy carries risks for some women, along with the relief of "symptoms," and any good gynecologist will tell you that women with direct family history of breast, cervical, or uterine cancer may not choose this treatment (combining the best of both worlds, many gynecologists support phytotherapy). This is a case-by-case situation.
Which Herbs Help Transition to Menopause Better:
The old and dear Salvia officinalis is useful for hot flashes and sweats, but since it contains thujone—which can be toxic—one cup of tea a day, maximum for one week during the luteal phase, is enough.
To regulate mood, yarrow tea before bed, and if we're feeling sad or frantic, take it when we wake up.
In moderation, horsetail is purifying and diuretic—maintaining a good fat/muscle ratio—and helps fix calcium in the bones. It doesn't help with weight loss and should be taken with care not to lose valuable potassium.
In the diet, a handful of soybean sprouts, alfalfa, and seeds like flax can make a big difference.
