meno blend tincture - support for female health

Meno tincture is a blend of various plants, made for all women, but specifically ages 35 and above. This tincture may have sediment so shake well before using. Contains astragalus which some people are stimulated by & green tea so avoid taking at night. Made on 4/11/25.

Ingredients: wild yam, black cohosh, pine pollen, astragalus, chamomile, brewer's yeast, spearmint, ashwagandha, red raspberry leaf, black currant, green tea, sage, ginger, dulse, menstruum is Everclear + spring water. Dried plants tinctured in 1:5 (wild yam, black cohosh, astragalus, chamomile, brewer's yeast, ashwagandha, green tea, dulse). Fresh plants tinctured in 1:2 (pine pollen, spearmint, red raspberry leaf, black currant, ginger). Sage tinctured fresh in 1:3. Final blend is approx 55% ABV

I made this for myself, initially! I choose specific plants I thought would care for me on this menopause journey. Find the dosage that works for you... start small & increase, depending on your own body responses. This does contain astragalus which may affect sleep for some, so avoid taking a few hours before bedtime if this is you. If you're really sensitive, you might struggle with 'blends'. I'm not sensitive at all, and I love combining different plants. I feel they work better when they play off each other. Check with a professional herbalist before consuming if you are unsure of these ingredients. I have also intentionally left out red clover, which is a great herb for people low in estrogen. The reasoning for this is that many people actually have estrogen dominance. This might look like fatty tissue around the breast area (which is different than normal breast tissue: think 'side boob' in women or breast tissue on men), heavy or irregular periods, severe PMS with bloating, extreme mood swings & breast tenderness, fibroids or endometriosis, weight gain around the midsection & fatigue. It's not ideal to take plants that act like estrogen in that case. This has been talked about more in recent years, which changes the narrative that menopause is strictly a 'lack of estrogen'. Something to think about!

Menopausal Ramblings:

Things that have helped me, take 'em or leave 'em:)

-Decrease stress & bad relationships at all costs. For me, this meant leaving an unhealthy marriage, limiting time spent with unhealthy people who take no accountability for their actions, saying NO whenever my body wanted me to, and putting myself 1st (for once!). Not having to revolve my life around a 'man' has been one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

-High sodium, too much white sugar & processed foods = hot flashes for me. I try to eat at least 90 g of protein a day, in balanced meals, 3 meals/day. I eat animal fat, but not too much, or I bloat & get digestive issues (my body can't handle super high fat intake anymore). I also eat fiber daily in fruit & vegetables, even if I'm just eating a carrot before bed because I neglected fiber that day:) They say that raw carrots help with estrogen dominance. 

-Keep following your 28 day cycle, not the male 24 hour hormone cycle. You can still feel these shifts even after you stop menstruating (luteal, ovulatory, follicular, menstrual), I find it's just 'milder' than when I was menstruating. If you revolve your life around a spouse & the 5 day workweek, this will be hard to do! It seems obvious to me that men are meant to be the supporters, hard workers & protectors - revolving around women & children... hence their 24 hour hormone cycle & bone structure, while women's energy fluctuates each week, and cannot show up with the same amount of energy each day. Just do what you can.

-Sleep when your body wants it. Take naps. Sleep in. Take breaks in your day & find stillness. This is how you recharge, otherwise you risk running on cortisol. Women are not physically designed to go all day; don't try to keep up with male productivity. 

-Build Muscle! This is ideal over cardio. Overdoing cardio is known to increase cortisol. There are loads of videos on Youtube, where you can start building muscle at any level. This will mean eating more protein, but this is your best defense (so they say:)). I personally don't exercise but do a lot of natural physical activity (like remodeling my house, yardwork, gardening). This has built muscle naturally. I'm pretty active in daylight hours but do rest up more in the winter when it is dark & cold. 

-I don't hyperfocus on 'menopause'. Even if you're drowning in symptoms (aka sweating like a hog:)). I focus on what I can do: tips above. Hearing horror story after horror story does nothing but create stress. My symptoms fluctuate & the more I stay on track & don't sit around lamenting, the better I do. There are many days I hardly notice that I'm in menopause. Last thing, here's a hug to all the women who struggle with this. You are not alone, and it's okay to feel defeated sometimes. ❤️

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