I am 47 years old and have been experiencing perimenopause for the past five years. Perimenopause, that liminal time between menses and menopause, varies in duration and symptoms for every woman.
I have had the privilege of speaking with many women from around the world; each one of them sharing a journey that is as unique as each of them. With every person expressing different ailments, it makes it challenging to try to address difficulties in this phase in the fertility cycle.
Some perimenopausal symptoms include, but are not limited to:
hot flashes
night sweats
lack of sleep
irritability
lapses in memory
brain fog/trouble concentrating
low libido
loss of bone density
joint and muscle aches
Through my own journey I have come to believe that all of my problems stem from night sweats. Throughout the night I am woken up by profuse sweating and heat, I strip down and get out from under the covers, fall back asleep. I wake back up chilly, crawl back under the covers, fall back asleep to be woken up from sweating. This nightly merry-go-round routine prevents me from ever hitting REM sleep.
When our brains do not hit REM, they do not fully get to rest and reset. This puts me in a brain fog all day, causing memory issues and trouble concentrating. All of this leads to irritability and lack of patience, which leads to perceived mood swings.
In our 2024 Spring box we focused on bringing you products that your body may benefit best from daily use; putting an herbal arsenal at your fingertips to get you on track for the year. The majority of these goods being surrounded by my new regime to attempt to support hormonal swings.
Stasja Strong is our hormonal support tincture that may work best with daily use. This is my first line of defense when it comes to combating perimenopausal symptoms.
Created with vitex berries; these purple, peppery scented berries have been said to balance out estrogen and progesterone levels; helping to alleviate symptoms of PMS, perimenopause and menopause, supporting women in every phase of the fertility cycle.
We coupled these with black cohosh. We utilize the roots of this beauty as it has been known to support women through menopause as it may contain chemical constituents that combat hot flashes and night sweats. People have used this herb with varying results, but studies have shown that it raises estrogen levels. Lower estrogen in (peri)menopausal women is what researchers believe to be the leading cause of common symptoms associated with this change in hormonal health. This tincture may reduce hot flashes/night sweats in quantity and intensity, though I have been told that it may take up to six months to take effect.
After hearing stories of women experiencing these sudden bursts of heat for over a decade, I am willing to commit to finding relief. I have been using this daily in the morning (and sometimes evening) since December of 2023. It has only been two months at this point and I am still experiencing hot flushes. Reducing the amount of caffeine you consume may also lessen hot flashes. I have not given up my daily two cups of coffee, BUT my excuse is that it reduces my brain fog and helps with concentration.
Which brings me to my second line of defense, our Lion's Mane tincture. We grew many of flushes of lion's mane in 2023 so that I could tincture this amazing fungus fresh, helping to support cognitive function and combat brain fog.
There are many studies being conducted on the benefits of lion's mane mushrooms. Most boast this fungi's ability to stimulate neural nerve growth and improve memory. There are ongoing investigations to determine the usage of lion's mane with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Most will argue that the best way to get the benefits from these mushroom is by eating the cooked fruit (they make a great crab substitute in your favorite recipes;). Consuming raw lion's mane is not advised since the cooking process breaks down the chitin for you, allowing your body to access the rewards lion's mane has to offer. But unless you grow your own, fresh fruiting bodies may not be easily accessible to you.
In our opinion, the best mode of administration would be a dual extract tincture. By soaking the fungi in alcohol, you break down the chitin and pull out the alcohol soluble constituents. The alcohol maceration is followed by a hot water extraction; creating a full spectrum extract for easy administration and absorption.
Last year we had a prolific harvest of red clover, which led me to muse over a tisane that could support bone density in an attempt to lessen the loss suffered throughout perimenopause. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) contains isoflavones, compounds that are structurally similar to estrogen; giving this legume the super powers I was looking to shine light on.
We blended these flowers with the star of the formula, oat straw! The nerve supporting nourishment from these sheaves can reduce stress and help promote restful slumber.....the perfect companion for a women's blend. We added in silica-rich horsetail, a mineral important to bone building and allowing the body to more easily absorb natural calcium. Ground up nettle leaves were included in this blend to up the calcium levels, creating even more bone health support.
We finished off this new formulation with some alfalfa for its abundant source of calcium, iron, magnesium and a whole host of other vitamins, minerals and amino acids. All of these herbs come together to create our newest product we affectionately call Bone Densa-Tea.
These three products were included in the 2024 Spring Box to start you off on an herbal regime that may support you best with daily use. While these seem to be focused in the later stages of life, they may also benefit younger women (and men) as well. It is never to early to start supporting your hormonal health and benefiting bone strength.
Afraid you are going to forget to order your seasonal box and potentially miss out on exclusive subscriber products? Our 2024 Annual Subscription is our set-it-and-forget it option, providing you with a new box at the beginning of each season, complete with a letter highlighting each product, suggested usage and storage tips. This option also gives you free shipping and a special little gift from me at the end of the year.
