Teas for menopause

In my forties, with my full-time job as a physician, two girls in primary school, and this amazing tea business, I have started to wonder what perimenopause and menopause will look like. Little did I realize I would be in menopause for half my life and that I need to equip myself with tools to help me when I enter this stage of my life. I wanted to share my thoughts and Herbs & Kettles teas for menopause that might help reduce symptoms.

In August 2023, Herbs & Kettles sponsored an empowering panel on menopause and perimenopause. The panel I moderated included amazing women well-versed in the field and provided a multidisciplinary approach. Dr. Amy Rodatus, a NAMS-certified physician, discussed menopause-related symptoms, hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), and what to do if you were not a candidate for HRT. Then, Margo Witteven, an integrative dietician, discussed diet, exercise, and minerals needed for improved health. This was followed by Dr. Amanda Shipley, who specialized in pelvic floor therapy. The consensus was that a balanced high protein diet, exercise, especially heavy weight lifting to increase muscle mass and bone density, focus on vitamins and minerals like magnesium, pelvic floor therapy, and an active sexual life with at least one orgasm a day were important.

Regarding HRT, the general outline was that if you are a candidate and not at risk for breast cancer, it was highly recommended as it not only helped reduce symptoms, also there has been some data on increasing longevity and Alzheimer’s disease. We discussed the importance of going to certified physicians for therapy, the use of dermal delivery methods via a patch, and how some facilities were implanting unsafe beads for patients. I realized that the commercialization of HRT was a concern and that it was important to get individualized therapy and seek qualified physicians who were well-versed in their field.

This panel got me thinking about how a woman in perimenopause or menopause needs to focus on her emotional and mental well-being. Usually, when we are in this stage, we still have children, careers, and a household to care for. We need to outsource so that we can take care of ourselves! What does this self-love look like? Focus on sleep, reducing stress and anxiety, exercise, and overall wellness. For me, it’s also been about feeling grounded, being proud, and enjoying the life we have created. Tea has been such an integral part of this emotional and mental wellness, and I wanted to take my time to talk to you about it.

Let’s start with the process of steeping tea itself. It’s a slow process of heating the water in a kettle, measuring the tea leaves in a teapot, pouring the water over the dry leaves, steeping the tea for the desired amount of time, and straining it into a cup. This process is grounding and can give you a minute to pause, breathe, engage with your senses, and bring calm. It can be therapeutic for many, especially if you have busy lives and need a moment to yourself.

Drinking tea also has many health benefits which have been discussed in my previous blog. Let me discuss specific benefits with menopause tea and individual Herbs & Kettles teas. Menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, increased anxiety, inflammation especially gut problems, hot flashes, can be reduced by certain teas good for menopause.

H&K’s Best Teas For Perimenopause & Menopause

Shop Now: Lady Bliss Tea

Lady Bliss Tea: this tea was especially created by us in collaboration with a practitioner of Ayurveda who is well versed in its magical herbs. It is caffeine free, healing with wonderful Ayurveda herbs including Saraca indica (ashoka), cornflowers, chamomile, fennel, garcinia (malabar tamarind), ginger, licorice, Symplocos racemosa (lodhra), peppermint, Asparagus racemosus (shatavari), valerian each herb chosen carefully to help balance the woman’s hormones, reduce symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, help improve sleep, aid digestion, reduce inflammation and stress. Shatavari is a powerful antioxidant and helps prevent damage from antioxidants. It has anti-aging properties, in addition to balancing the female hormones it helps reduce hot flashes, helps digestion and reduces stress. Ashoka is a powerful herb that helps reduce symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, bloating and weight gain. Lodhra which has phytoestrogen properties can help reduce symptoms of hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Valerian root and chamomile will help with sleep and a rejuvenating slumber.

Green Tea: we have two single origin green teas- Darjeeling Emerald Green and Nilgiri Green Twirl. Green tea catechins have wonderful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits. Recent studies also show that tea is a fantastic prebiotic and helps good gut bacteria, and also reduces some absorption of sugar and fat from the gut. Green tea flavonoids have been most studied although I suspect that other teas such as white, yellow, oolong tea and Jasmine black teas also have similar activity. Puerh teas are special and as they are fermented have prebiotic and probiotic effects. If you are someone who drinks blends, I would suggest some out artisanal green tea for menopause and perimenopause  teas such as Lavish Blue Tea and Turmeric Green Tea which will provide additional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits respectively. Green tea for menopause also helps reduce anxiety and brings calm, and so definitely helpful in menopause when stressors can really affect our emotional well-being and health.

Shop Now: Chamomile Loose Tea

Chamomile Tea: I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter on if chamomile tea is good for menopause? One doesn’t realize that perimenopause and menopause lead to poor sleep. A tisane from Chamomile can definitely help with this. Chamomile has an active compound called chrysin that helps improve sleep and reduce stress. I would recommend trying our high-quality whole chamomile flowers for sure. This included with other sleep hygiene measures such as reducing screen time at night, sleeping at the same time and same place should definitely help.

Shop Now: Calming Golden Turmeric Latte

Calming Golden Turmeric Latte: when I think of an amazing herbal tea for menopause to help reduce symptoms our Calming Golden Latte immediately comes to mind. With anti-inflammatory Lakadong turmeric as a superfood, just a touch of black pepper to increase its absorption, wild cinnamon which helps improve impaired glucose tolerance and so bloating and ashwagandha a powerful adaptogen that helps develop resilience to stressors while helping balance cortisol levels is just what you need as part of your daily routine.

So dear reader, in conclusion, yes menopause can be difficult for many of us women, but it does not necessarily have to be so, especially if you are empowered by the right knowledge and tools to help you. It is also not something that should not be spoken about or shoved under the carpet like a dirty secret. We should celebrate womanhood and all its aspects. Let’s raise a cup of tea to celebrate our achievements, together we can support each other through every phase of life.