The best herbal teas to relieve peri-menopause symptoms

Herbal teas to help menopause symptoms

There are certain lifestyle choices women can actively take to help improve their menopause symptoms such as cutting out the caffeine that’s found in black tea and coffee. Those regular cuppas can exacerbate some menopause symptoms, so why not try replacing them with a cup of herbal tea?

What’s not to love about a warming cuppa, the thought of replacing it with an alternative drink might be a hard habit to break. But if there are health benefits that come with drinking herbal tea when entering into perimenopause, could it be worth taking your time to find a herbal tea that might help relieve your symptoms?

Herbs have a variety of healing powers and are a great source of vitamins and minerals too. A daily* herbal infusion could make a difference to the hormonal changes that knock you off kilter - from soothing your digestive issues to easing insomnia & calming an over-anxious mind. Find our top 10 herbal teas to help with your menopause symptoms.

Loose leaf herbal tea - an infusion of fragrant herbs, fruit, bark, flowers, or spices that is steeped or simmered in hot water for 10-15 minutes will release their healing properties. We like loose tea from Baldwins, London’s oldest medical herbalist. You can find an ever-growing range in supermarkets - choose carefully to get the maximum benefit.

* The usual medical caveat - always check with your doctor if you have an existing condition or take regular medication, herbs can cause negative interactions.

10 herbal teas to help menopause symptoms

Liquorice tea

It’s a bit like Marmite, people either love liquorice tea or loathe it!

Liquorice tea is slightly sweet, so if you’re craving a little sweetness maybe try having a cup instead of that sugary snack! It's also high in phytoestrogen, plant-based oestrogen that can help to balance low oestrogen symptoms.

Liquorice tea may help to reduce the occurrence of hot flushes — and how long they last — in women entering into menopause. It can also have oestrogen-like effects and may also benefit respiratory health and reduce overall stress.

Medical Herbalist Melinda McDougall uses liquorice in small doses to relieve stress in menopause it helps in promoting healthy cortisol levels and balancing hormones - not for those with high blood pressure though.

It's a nice tea to take at night as it's a very relaxing tea. It helps to support your nervous system. And we know that menopause can be highly stressful at certain times. So, anything that may help to support the nervous system is going to be of real benefit however slight it may be.

Add some honey for indigestion and crush fennel seeds, pouring over boiling water and straining into a mug, or add it to peppermint tea. 

Liquorice can have adverse effects if mixed with certain prescription drugs, so consult with a doctor before consuming.

Ginger tea

Ginger tea is a good digestive aid. Use it to curb lesser-known menopause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or help to settle an upset stomach. It may also help relieve stomach churning menopause stress and anxiety. It's also good for your digestion, in general. So, if you're getting a few digestive issues, then it’s worthwhile giving ginger a go! 

Ginger is anti-inflammatory, so could benefit if you’re suffering joint aches and pains.

If you have time have a go at making your own ginger tea. Be patient as you must let it simmer for a bit. Get a little piece of fresh ginger, peel it, chop it, or grate it, add it to a cup or so of water in a pan, and let it simmer gently for maybe 10-15 minutes. 

You then strain it, and add either a little bit of honey, or a nice squeeze of lemon juice. I find it so nice and soothing. It’s also a great drink if you think you’re getting a cold.

Green tea

Green tea is great because it's got a little bit of caffeine in it. So, if you’re trying to give up ordinary tea, and you’re still craving that caffeine hit, then green tea can work wonders to just take the edge off things.

A 2009 study revealed that green tea can be an effective way to strengthen bone metabolism and decrease the risk of bone fractures, especially in women experiencing menopause. Worthwhile if you have a history of osteoporosis in your family.

Green tea is full of antioxidants including epigallocatechin gallate, (EGCG) a potent type of plant-based compound called catechin. Antioxidants are great for keeping ageing at bay. EGCG is thought to reduce inflammation, aid weight loss, and help prevent heart and brain disease. It boosts metabolism, helping to fight that menopausal weight gain that some women find hard to shift.

There are lots of different flavourings in green tea. And the nice thing is that it's often blended with other things too.

There is little risk in drinking green tea. So again, it's a great addition to your daily drink regime.

Rooibos tea

High in vitamin C and other minerals, rooibos has a variety of menopause health benefits. It’s an easy drinking tea and about as near as you can get to normal tea but without caffeine and you can add milk of your choice.

It has low tannin levels compared to black or green tea. Tannins are a natural compound found in green and black teas. They often get bad press as they can interfere with the absorption of much-needed menopause nutrients like iron.

Rooibos is beneficial in warding off disease and signs of ageing. It’s packed with good-for-you antioxidants, including aspalathin, a compound that reduces stress hormones that trigger fat storage and hunger and help inhibit metabolic disorders.

Rooibos tea may help to regulate blood sugar, so beneficial for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. It contains quercetin, an antioxidant which benefits the heart, lowers the risk of certain cancers, fights viruses and is an anti-inflammatory that decreases the risk of heart disorders.

It may benefit people with heart disease risk as the antioxidant properties in rooibos tea have been linked to healthier hearts. Studies have shown it may have positive effects on blood pressure which may improve cholesterol levels, decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

It can be bought in most high street supermarkets and is a tea that can be consumed on a regular basis without any health concerns.

Try making Rooibos iced tea: Place teabags, lemon, mint leaves and sugar in a large pot. Pour in boiling water and let steep. Stir occasionally until cool. Then remove teabags and refrigerate.

Ginseng tea

Known for its reviving properties it may help reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes and night sweats in menopausal women and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease in post-menopause. 

A study in 2010 showed that red ginseng may also benefit women whose loss of libido is in need of a lift, apparently, it helps improve women’s sexual arousal and sex life! 

It’s not cheap and be careful if you're on medication for blood pressure, diabetes, and blood thinners as it can interact, so please speak with your doctors.

Sage tea

The common old garden sage leaf is full of antioxidant compounds and advocates consider sage tea as helpful for certain menopause-related health conditions, from weight loss to hair health.

Research on the health effects of sage is few and far between, but there's some evidence that sage may be beneficial for reducing hot flushes and night sweats associated with menopause. Sage for hot flushes mimics the effect of oestrogen in the body, if it works for you then why knock it, but it doesn’t work for everyone. If you're suffering from minor flushes, then you can have a cup or two of sage tea a day. 

Sipping sage tea on occasion may help enhance your overall health by keeping you hydrated and increasing your antioxidant intake. Be careful to avoid drinking regular or excessive amounts due to the thujone (and camphor) content.

While sage is generally considered safe when used in the amounts found in food recipes, sage contains thujone and camphor, essential oils that have the potential to be harmful if taken orally in high quantities. A preliminary study published in Chemical Central Journal suggests that three to six cups of sage tea could be consumed daily without reaching toxicological thresholds.

To make sage tea, add two tablespoons of fresh common sage leaves (or one tablespoon of dried leaves) to a mug. Fill the mug with almost-boiling water. Cover and let it steep for a few minutes. Strain the tea to remove the leaves.

Sage tea bags are available for purchase online and be found in many natural health stores. Sage tea is also found in various tea blends.

Nettle tea

Nettle is a powerhouse of a plant and is beneficial as it's a natural antihistamine, so may be effective for anyone suffering from miserable menopause itchy and irritable skin, or if you've got a little bit of inflammation and achy joints.

It's also a great blood cleanser, so it's a perfect tea if you've perhaps overindulged! It's a nice alkalizing tea. And can be drunk daily, too. If you're experiencing breast tenderness or your breasts feel hard at certain times of the month, it may help to flush things through.

The common stinging nettle actively inhibits pro-inflammatory pathways linked to allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Medical herbalist Melinda MacDougall recommends nettle tea for seasonal allergies such as hay fever.

Pick a bunch of the fresh tops off the spring plants (using gloves), place in a teapot or cafetière, steep for 10 minutes and drink. To be effective as allergy relief, take nettle tea every day throughout allergy season – either as dried loose tea or picked fresh.

Chamomile tea

Known as a gentle calming and sedative tea; chamomile tea may be helpful for those menopause sleepless nights. It might also aid digestion after a meal and is soothing on the stomach, so beneficial in cases of nausea, stomach pain or period pains.

Be sure to steep it well to get all the medicinal benefits. 

Peppermint tea

For those of you struggling with digestive disorders brought on by menopausal hormone changes, peppermint tea is a perfect remedy. It’s great to relieve the symptoms of abdominal gas and bloating and relieve muscle spasms. It’s also good for nausea (without vomiting).

Sipping cool peppermint tea can also help to relieve menopause hot flushes.

Peppermint is one of the easiest herbs to grow and therefore simple to make with fresh herbs plucked straight from the garden.

Black cohosh

Black cohosh root is used in the herbal world as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It has been found to reduce vaginal dryness and hot flushes in menopausal women. Research has suggested that it’s most effective for women who experience early menopause.

It’s more popularly taken as an extract in tea and can also be taken in pill form. it may also relieve heart palpitations, tinnitus (yes, another menopause symptom), sleep disturbances, and irritability.

Women being treated for blood pressure or liver problems also shouldn’t take black cohosh. And we advise that a medical doctor should be consulted before consuming it.

Ready to try herbal teas?

Our takeaway message is that there is an extensive range of herbal teas on the market and plenty of women find them beneficial for their menopause symptoms. If you’re looking for natural options to manage your menopause, then an occasional cup of herbal tea has little risk and could be your saviour.

Do consult your doctor before using some of the teas we’ve mentioned to treat perimenopause symptoms, as some teas may have adverse effects on prescription medicines. Certain ones are natural blood thinners, so speak with a doctor about your tea usage, especially before any elective surgery or dental treatment.