The new ‘alternative’ for menopause

Abstract

Plants have formed an integral part of our existence since time immemorial and since then we have been using them in many forms to support our survival. The use of plants or plant extracts for medicinal purposes has also been extensively explored and the intricacy of this research has followed the vertiginous progress in diagnostics and intervention. The use of synthetic chemicals for the cure of disease has nowadays taken up much of the pharmaceutical field; despite this, herbalism, or the study and use of plants as medicinals, is still a thriving facet of the pharma industry. One of the medical fields in which herbalism is trying to establish a valid market is gynaecology, more specifically the menopause. Menopause is a highly particular phase in a woman’s life that marks the end of fertility and slowly but determinedly steers her into middle and old age.