Menopause is a natural part of the ageing process and marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The process can take many years and bring with it a variety of symptoms.
But, along with appropriate help from a doctor, did you know that holistic treatments, such as medicinal mushrooms, might also be able to help?
If you’re currently going through menopause, and you want to try alleviating the symptoms with the assistance of medicinal mushrooms, we’re here to help.
In this post, we are going to be sharing with you some of the best medicinal mushrooms that have been proven to support women going through menopause.
Just read on.
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is a natural phase in a woman’s (see also: Can A Woman Get Pregnant After Menopause?)life that signifies the end of her menstrual cycle. During this time in a woman’s life, it is normal for oestrogen levels to decline as her monthly periods begin to come to an end.
The process of menopause can begin while a woman is still having her monthly cycle, although menopause is officially considered to have occurred 12 months after a woman has had her last period.
While the average age for menopause can vary from woman to woman, the average age of menopause is typically between 40-50.
However, despite menopause being a natural part of the ageing process, there are a multitude of psychological, physical, and emotional changes that a woman can experience during this time.
From a decrease in energy to trouble sleeping at night, menopause can be confusing, distressing, and even downright frustrating.
Luckily, there are plenty of great treatments available for women going through menopause, starting from simple lifestyle changes all the way to appropriate routes of treatment prescribed by a doctor, such as hormone therapy.
There are also many holistic treatments available to consider, including medicinal mushrooms, which brings us to our next point.
What Mushrooms Are Best For Menopause?
Now that we’ve provided you with an overview of what menopause consists of, we are now going to be sharing with you some of the most popular mushrooms used to help aid women during menopause.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular mushrooms used to help balance female hormones below:
Reishi
One of the most popular mushrooms used to help treat women going through menopause is Reishi!
If you have never heard of Reishi before, this medicinal mushroom is best known for its energising properties and its ability to naturally balance hormones.
Thanks to this, if you incorporate Reishi into your diet, it will have the ability to assist in reducing any negative feelings that you might be experiencing while also encouraging overall feelings of wellness.
This is all thanks to Reishi’s powerful reactogenic abilities, which not all medicinal mushrooms offer.
Along with this, it is also worth mentioning that many symptoms of menopause can be intensified by inflammation throughout the body.
Besides having the ability to balance out hormones and reduce feelings of stress, Reishi also has the powerful ability to be able to act as an antioxidant within the body, so it will also be able to offer an anti-inflammatory action.
Cordyceps
Another great medicinal mushroom that you should consider trying is Cordyceps.
If you’ve never heard of this mushroom before, it offers the ability to help balance out hormonal changes (which can occur frequently while a woman is going through menopause) as well as helping to naturally increase sexual libido.
This means that Cordyceps can be extremely beneficial in serving as an aphrodisiac.
Thanks to this, many women find that they are able to still maintain a healthy sexual libido despite the body’s natural decrease in oestrogen production.
Maitake And Shiitake
These medicinal mushrooms are great for helping to regulate your body’s blood sugar levels during menopause, which can often fluctuate due to your body undergoing so much change.
As well as this, Maitake and Shiitake also have the ability to help maintain your body’s ideal weight due to their powerful capabilities in regulating both cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels.
Thanks to this, these two medicinal mushrooms (see also: Medicinal Mushrooms For Heart Problems)will be able to support your body throughout menopause in order to help prevent unwanted weight gain or weight loss, while also helping to maintain your body’s optimal blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
Lion’s Mane
Last, but certainly not least, the final medicinal mushroom that we have to recommend to you to support your menopause journey is Lion’s Mane.
This medicinal mushroom is ideal for helping to reduce some of the psychological and emotional symptoms that many women find themselves experiencing while going through their menopause journey.
Wondering why this is? Well, Lion’s Mane has long been known to be able to offer incredible emotional and hormonal regulation capabilities thanks to unique properties.
When taken, Lion’s Mane has the ability to increase feelings of wellness, happiness, and positivity, all while supporting the brain and body’s cells while going through the ageing process.
As well as being able to help decrease negative feelings that many women naturally experience while going through menopause, Lion’s Mane has also been shown to help reduce signs of inflammation throughout the body, which is something that can make the symptoms of menopause even worse.
When taken regularly, Lion’s Mane will be able to promote better blood flow and increase oxygen levels, which will help to decrease inflammation and allow for better brain function.
In other words, you’ll feel an increased sense of focus, lower levels of stress and anxiety, and more positive moods.
General Healthy Habits
Along with the medicinal mushrooms that we have listed above, there are plenty of healthy lifestyle habits that you should make sure you are following to help reduce menopause symptoms.
Let’s take a look at them below:
You should make sure that you are exercising regularly.
Ensure that your diet is allowing you to get all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, in particular vitamin D and calcium. If you aren’t getting enough, you should take supplements if possible.
Avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or drinks that contain high levels of caffeine.
Make sure that you are maintaining a healthy body weight in line with your height and natural build.
No smoking.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet that is rich in foods that contain antioxidants. This means plenty of vegetables and fruit!
Avoid eating fried processed foods that contain refined sugars and fats. Instead, reach for foods that have been prepared with extra virgin olive oil, and always cook food on the grill (where possible) instead of frying.
Take up a relaxing hobby or activity that will help to regulate emotions, like yoga.
Wrapping Up
Even though the arrival of menopause can bring with it many psychological, emotional, and physical changes – there are plenty of ways that you can help to support yourself during this time.
Along with seeking guidance from your doctor, we hope that this guide has given you insight into a more holistic approach to alleviating the symptoms of menopause with medicinal mushrooms(see also: What Are Medicinal Mushrooms? – A Detailed Overview). Thank you for reading.
I'm Clare, the owner and operator of Off The Couch, where I serve as a qualified Nutrition & Health Coach.
Based in Dublin, Ireland, I offer coaching services both locally and globally, providing personalized strategies in nutrition, stress management, sleep quality, and fitness.
My journey into this field began as I navigated my own chronic illnesses, including early menopause, Interstitial Cystitis, Lyme Disease, and hydrocephalus.
