HERBAL REVIEW

Considering this is Humboldt, this blog will probably get more hits than it deserves. Unfortunately, and especially so for the menfolk who might read this, I’m talking herbs aimed for the menopausal. It was brought to my attention by someone I have loved passionately for over 32 years that I’ve become cranky – not the same girl he married. Yeah well, screw you! That was a JOKE! Anyway, I knew I’d been feeling down and thought I had all the reasons figured out but argued, yes ARGUED that I was same DAMN happy girl he married. Okay, so deep down, I knew I was not my normal happy self.

I’m at THAT AGE….it sucks but the influx of hormones that got us into trouble in our teens, get us into more trouble when we start running low in our fifties. I started checking into herbal menopause remedies. I knew about St. Johns Wort but the articles state it's use is for depression. I truly didn’t feel depressed and didn’t want to get into taking the herbal equivalent of prozac. I looked at Black Cohosh which is indicated for malaise (being a whiney sad-sack) and menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. I’m not yet at the stage of having my own private summers but I AM beginning to see signs of what they call perimenopause, a “transition period” of fluctuating hormones. So, why not.... Black Cohosh went in the basket to be taken twice a day.

I’m here to tell you, I’M CURED! Well, maybe not cured but I feel much better. Maybe it’s a placebo affect. Maybe no one is PISSING ME OFF as much…joking again…but I am feeling in better spirits. So, to all my friends who are still in possession of their girl organs so are going through this same stage, try the Black Cohosh. Be warned that “currently available data are not sufficient to support a recommendation”, yeah yeah. Call this purely anecdotal but it’s better than getting more wrinkles from having a cranky face. Take your Black Cohosh and a walk on the beach. Smile.

And to the men who might be on the receiving end of this...be kind, bring chocolate and hugs...I suspect it will get worse before it gets better.

I have a rubber stamp that says I just get through metamorphosis and a long comes menopause….Thank God, I’m not alone.