Most hormonal type herbs work via the pituitary gland and help to balance and stimulate the body. They do not actually contain hormones in the same way as orthodox hormonal medications do, rather the herbs help the body to continue normal changes long after periods have ceased, however one may need to take the herbs for some time for the full effect.
The question of menopausal woes comes from JB, Taupo:
“I am 50 years old and starting to experience what I presume is the start of menopausal symptoms, although my periods are still reasonably normal and so far have only missed one cycle. My main worry is in difficulty sleeping. Most nights I am only getting intermittent sleep for an hour or so and getting very damp hot flush in between which doesn’t help my energy, moods or concentration the next day. I have also noticed at times instead of getting too hot I feel chilled and shivery for no reason. Can this be a part of the menopausal thing too, or is something else wrong? Other than that, I feel okay, but the sleep issues are getting me down. I take a multi-vitamin daily, eat reasonably well but don’t get a lot of exercise. I have tried taking sleep/relax herbals, but they don’t seem to help much.”