Menopausal Formula is made with organic gluten free alcohol, organic herbs of motherwort, red clover, and chaste tree berry.

Good for Mood swings, hot flashes, headaches, night sweats and more. I take this to help regulate my hormones, it isn’t just for menopause. I recommend it for anyone who is over 40 looking to regulate their hormones. I recommend taking is 1-2 times per day, for those with extreme symptoms you can take it 3-4 times a day. For those younger than 40 I have a hormone balancer tincture that I would recommend for you.

Avoid using if taking birth control, pregnant, or on anti-psychotic drugs.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) or lion-hearted is in the mint family and in some places is referred to as a noxious weed. It is a perennial and tends to show up in places where one may not want it to grow. I have been trying to get it to “seed in” at our new farm and have so far been unsuccessful. The leaves are the main part used, but I also like to use the flowers just as they are starting to bloom because I feel the plant holds a lot of energy at that time. The flowers are pink and work their way up the stalk of the plant. This herb itself is extremely bitter. If you ever want to try and make tea with it, you will get a sense of just how bitter it is.

Motherwort is considered both a nervine and a sedative as it helps calm an overactive nervous system. It has an extremely gentle approach, and it is great when used for stress, tension, lack of sleep, and anxiety. It is mild enough that it doesn’t make one groggy. It has a strong affinity for the heart, and I find that when there is tension and anxiety that affects the heart (tightness and palpitations) that this is my number one go-to as it is considered a cardiovascular Trophorestorative. It supports and strengthens the vascular system. Is good for high blood pressure, especially when brought on by anxiety and stress. Motherwort’s bitterness and ability to cool helps with liver and gallbladders production and secretion of bile which in turn helps with cholesterol levels in the body. It is not only good for the physical heart but also the emotional heart, when your heart is sad and heavy it has uplifting properties to it. It also helps with courage and confidence for someone who may feel weak; this is where a good motherwort flower essence would come in handy.

For women going through menopause and having a difficult time with regulating temperature and sleep it is effective in helping to get rid of hot flashes and headaches by clearing out the metabolic waste from the liver and draining heat from the upper parts of the body. I have personally used motherwort for menopausal symptoms and found it to be effective. For women with amenorrhea (absence of a period) motherwort can quite quickly help to bring on menses and it can help with irregular menstrual cycles to get them back on track. It can also be used for PMS and cramping.Motherwort and crampbark would be a good combination for severe menstrual cramping. For women with a regular and consistent cycle you may want to exercise caution when taking motherwort as it could possibly disrupt your regular cycle. For this same reason this herb should be avoided during pregnancy but can be used during childbirth for its ability to stimulate the uterus and help with the pain.

Because of motherwort’s cooling and calming properties, it has been used for those experiencing symptoms of hyperthyroidism such as heart palpitations and running hot. Due to the high bitterness, it is an effective herb to use with poor digestion especially when it is brought on by nervousness and stress. It can also be used for digestive upset around a women’s menstrual cycle.

Motherwort combines well with other herbal nervines like lemon balm and passionflower. For women’s health during menopause, I like to combine it with chaste tree berry and red clover.

Since motherwort is so bitter most people prefer to use it in tincture form. You can also make herbal honey with it - just add some of the herbs to some local honey (you can do this with either fresh or dried motherwort).  I had also recommended it as a flower essence for emotional health

Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex agnus-castus) is often just referred to as vitex. It is in the Lamiaceae family (which is the mint family). It used to be in the Verbenaceae family until sometime in the 1990s. There are many species of vitex, but we are just focusing on the agnus-castus variety.  It is a deciduous tree with blue-purple flowers that can grow up to 22 feet tall, especially if cultivated. The berries are harvested in the fall, and they are the part that gets used. The tree grows in warmer climates.  I had been tempted to try growing it in NY as an annual, but after this winter, I am convinced that it wouldn’t have survived as it really prefers more tropical weather with at least a zone 6. (So, I have changed my mind on trying to grow it.) Vitex is native to Mediterranean Europe and Central Asia and was introduced in the United States as an ornamental in 1570.

 Folklore suggests that Chaste Tree Berry was used to promote chastity in Monks during the Middle Ages and sprigs were carried by virgins in Ancient Rome to represent purity. In the 1700s it was used for gastrointestinal issues and would help dispel wind from the bowels. Starting in the 1900s, chaste trees are primarily used as a key ally for women’s reproductive health.

 Chaste tree berry has been used to support menstrual irregularities; it acts as a hormone modulator helping to balance progesterone and estrogen by acting as an indirect normalizer. It works with the pituitary gland and can lower prolactin levels when taken in lower doses. It can also help reduce the risk of flooding (menorrhagia), absence of a period (amenorrhea), and severe menstrual cramping and pain (dysmenorrhea).  It is useful for PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) symptoms like acne, headache, breast pain, mood swings, irritability, and anxiety.

 Chaste tree berry helps with sexual function, libido, and helps to enhance fertility because of the hormone balancing ability. It increases progesterone and enhances corpus luteum development when taken in higher doses for at least 3 months. When used for sexual function dosing matters – when used in lower doses it reduces the libido and when used in higher doses it stimulates the libido. Vitex has been used to prevent miscarriage during the first trimester for those that have had a recurring problem. If you were to use it for this purpose, I strongly recommend you work with your midwife and herbalist.

 Chaste tree berry acts as a galactagogue when taken in small doses, this means that it helps to stimulate milk production when nursing, but there is mixed literature on this with limited studies, so I would recommend doing more research.

 During perimenopause and menopause, chaste tree berry has been found to be effective and safe with no side effects. Vitex is known to significantly aid in maintaining healthy hormone levels. Helps to decrease and relieve hot flashes, night sweats, pelvic floor pain, breast tenderness, fibroids, breast lumps, acne, mood swings, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and other menopausal symptoms.

Chaste tree can be used when one is coming off birth control and trying to rebalance their reproductive system.  It isn’t recommended to take while on birth control, fertility treatments, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Chaste tree berry is not recommended for post-menopausal women.

Chaste tree is meant to be taken over a long period of at least 3 months to see a difference. So be patient when you first start. Some may see improvements immediately and others may take a little bit longer. Chaste tree berry can be used with those that have estrogen sensitive cancers.

For the tincture lower doses would be considered 5-10 drops 2-3 times a day and higher doses would be considered 40-80 drops 3 times a day. As with all herbs please consult your doctor, midwife, or an herbalist if this is something that you want to start taking for medicinal purposes. This information is for educational purposes only.

This is a dietary supplement.

I recommend that with all the herbal tinctures you start of small in dosing and work your way up to recommended dosage. Some people only need a small amount to notice a difference. 

Disclaimer: Earthly Remedies is not responsible for any individual’s use of our products. Each person’s response to herbs may differ. Consult a qualified health care practitioner or herbalist for guidance.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.