Midwife Matters

Here are some herbal remedies to deal with the most common symptoms associated with peri-menopause:

Hot Flashes:

• Black Cohosh 1/2 tsp tincture or 2 caps,  3 times per day
• Don Quai or alfalfa 1/2 tsp tincture or 2 caps, 3 times per day
• Vitamin E 400-800 mg daily
• Vitamin B complex (look for brand with B3 in niacinamide form as niacin form may aggravate flashes)
• Motherwort 1/2 tsp tincture or 2 caps, 3 times per day

Fatigue/Insomnia:

• Melatonin 103mg at bedtime
• Tincture of catnip, 2 drops under tongue.  If not sleeping in 5 minutes, repeat Hops 0.5mg at bedtime
• Valerian 1/2- 1tsp or 1-2 caps at bedtime
• Camomile tea
• GABA 1-2 caps at bedtime.

Restless legs and foot cramps:

• Magnesium 500-1000mg at bedti
• Calcium 500 mg at bedtime
• Vitamin E 200-600 IU daily

Heavy Bleeding:

• Vitex Agnus caps 1-4 per day
• Evening Primrose oil 3 gram divided with meals.
• Foods rich in beta-carotene (peppers, carrots, vegetables dark in color)
• Vitamin B6 25-50 mg daily
• Iron supplement
• B-complex
• Calcium up to 1000mg daily
• AVOID black cohosh

Heart Palpitations:

• Motherwort 1/2 tsp tincture or 2 caps, 3 times per day

Memory loss/fuzzy thinking:

• Gingko Biloba 120 mg/day in divided doses, well-suited for long-term use (Do not take any blood thinning medications with Gingko)
• Food sources: liver, yeast, wheat germ, egg yolk, granular lecithin

Mood Swings:

• Magnesium 250 mg 3 timers per day from the 15th day of menstrual cycle to the first day of menstruation
• B- Complex
• Wild oats or skullcap 1/2 tsp tincture 3-4 times per day
• St. Johns Wort 300 mg 3 times per day
• Natural progesterone cream 1/4-1/2 tsp at morning and night, days 8-31 of mensrual cycle applied to any soft tissue

Vaginal Dryness:

• Limit coffee, alcohol, and white sugar
• Vitamin E, 100-600 IU daily
• Increase Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils)
• Lubricants: Lubrin, Replens, Viamor, Acidophilus caps

Yeast/Bacterial Infections:

• Plain yogurt 8 oz daily. May be used vaginally to treat.
• B-Complex vitamins.
• AVOID sugars.
• Cranberry juice (PLAIN cranberry NOT cranberry cocktail)
• Zinc, Vitamns A and B
• Acidophilus caps, orally or vaginally

Fluid Retention:

• Asparagus, corn, grapes, cucumber, watermelon
• Coffee, tea (use sparingly as they may cause breast engorgement/lumps and tenderness)
• Vitamin B6 150mg daily

Breast Tenderness:

• Vitamin B6 100mg daily while tenderness lasts, then 50mg daily
• Magnesium 250mg daily
• B-Complex