Many books have been written about menopause from as many different perspectives as there are authors. It touches just about every woman. But because we women are very different from each other, we also react very differently to this period of our lives. In many indigenous cultures, women gain a lot of respect from their loved ones with maturity, because then they can contribute a lot to the well-being of society with their knowledge and experience. Our western society can learn a lot from them in this area.
What causes menopause?
Medicine teaches us that between the ages of 45 and 55, a woman’s level of the hormone estrogen in her body begins to slowly decline. Each of us feels this differently. Some women feel significant changes on a physical level. Typical hot flushes, vaginal dryness, or decreased flexibility in the bladder sphincter muscles are just some of them. Again, other women feel the changes more on a psychological level. Depressions associated with menopause, overload, loss of vitality and creativity occur more often in our culture than in those cultures where aging is not perceived as a weakness. However, perhaps in the current pandemic situation, it is the right time to consider our attitude towards women’s maturity in addition to the general crisis thinking about the attitude towards aging.
Does menopause need to be ‘treated’?
The synonym of the word menopause ‘???menopause’ comes from the Greek word ‘klimakter’ and means ‘steps’ or ‘stairs’. This puts menopause in a very positive light, as a woman during this period goes from a normal cyclical rhythm, which is associated with materiality and earth due to bleeding, into a process of raising energy and related wisdom. Perhaps, however, the well-known hot flashes are intended for just that – to raise the internal energy to higher levels.
Either way, menopause is a completely natural state of a woman’s body. So it is not a disease in the classical sense, it could be better described by a natural change in the state of the body. When it brings with it unpleasant accompanying symptoms, it makes sense to alleviate them, of course. If we tackle them properly and persistently, it can be a period of full creativity and vitality for a woman.
How can aromatherapy help?
Aromatherapy can help harmonize the processes that take place in a woman’s body during menopause. Aromatherapy preparations can affect the hormonal balance and thus the symptoms of menopause. However, it should be borne in mind that aromatherapy preparations are intended to support other herbal preparations. Especially for essential oils, long-term use is not recommended without appropriate interruptions. A similar recommendation should be followed in the therapeutic use of hydrolates. Although the therapeutic amounts of hydrolates are not large, as they are usually only one to two medium-sized tablespoons of hydrosol per day, a break of at least one week is required after three weeks of use. Therefore, it is useful to consult an aromatherapist before use, who can prepare a suitable mixture for you and advise on the method and frequency of use. It can save you many unnecessary mistakes.
Which hydrolates can you help yourself with?
Nature has also given us quite a few plants in our places, the hydrolates of which can help us alleviate the problems of menopause. I deliberately limit myself to local plants and their hydrolates, as I also want to contribute to a more sustainable way of life for all of us.
The queen of female plants is of course the rose! There is almost no female problem where a rose would not help at least a little. Rose hydrolate also has its unmistakable scent and effects on a woman’s soul and body. It has a positive effect on the heart, soothes, relieves the symptoms of PMS and menopause, helps restore hormonal balance and much more. The only problem with this is how to get really high quality rose hydrolate. Most of the hydrolates formed in industrial distillations do not meet the requirements of therapeutic hydrolates. Therefore, if you have the opportunity, plant your roses and grow your own rose hydrolate. It’s not that hard, as you only need a few decilitres for yourself for the whole year. Your body will then just tell you how good you have done with such a hydrolate, and your garden will get a royal touch!
Clary sage is the next plant to be highlighted as a helper for women’s problems. Clary sage hydrolate can give some similar results as rose hydrolate, but in a different way. If a rose has a cooling effect on our body, clary sage has a more moderately warming effect. And if the rose has the skills of a generalist, clary sage is more of a specialist. Therefore, it should be used for the appropriate type of problems and people. Just as a rose works great on the hormonal system, it can help with the symptoms of PMS, menopause, menstrual cramps, depression and more. Another small tip – it also works as a mild aphrodisiac!
You can also mix the hydrolates with each other
Depending on the type of problem, other hydrolates may be added to the above hydrolates, e.g. hydrolates of chamomile, yarrow, lemon balm, peppermint, immortelle… Each of them can add its own special qualities and thus help you alleviate problems. There are really many possibilities and we have recently had enough local offer of quality hydrolates that you will definitely find a suitable one for you. When buying, just make sure that they are completely natural and without any additives. You know – prudence is the mother of wisdom!