When Mary Ellen, at 46 years of age, started to go through change of life symptoms - hot flashes, sweating, heart palpitations, depression, mood changes, increased feelings of stress and vaginal dryness - it reminded her of her mother's complicated menopausal years.  Her mom had been given estrogen replacement therapy, an effective but somewhat risky treatment for menopausal symptoms.
    Researchers have found that the greater the exposure to estrogen over a lifetime, the greater the risk of breast cancer.  After having taken estrogen replacement therapy for twenty years, Mary Ellen's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Subsequent surgery and follow-up treatment successfully removed the cancer, and her doctor took her off estrogen replacement therapy because it is contraindicated in cases of breast cancer.
     Mary Ellen's mother had such a severe reoccurrence of menopausal symptoms, however, that she begged her doctor to put her back on estrogen replacement therapy.  He consented only after a year of persistent pleading, warning her of its dangers.  Five years later, Mary Ellen's mother thought she beat the odds against a reoccurrence of cancer, however, shortly thereafter her body was riddle with cancer that had spread to most of her major internal organs.  Mary Ellen feared she would experience a similar fate.
     In addition to the symptoms experienced by Mary Ellen and her mother, menopause increases the rate of bone loss leading to osteoporosis.  Approximately 50% of women in the U.S. experience moderate to severe menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms.  These symptoms also include loss of muscle tone, thinning of the vaginal wall, and increased risk of bladder infections and prolapsed uterus.

Help from the Amazon Rainforests
     Luckily Mary Ellen came across some herbs from the Amazon during this difficult time in her life.  Of the more than 200,000 plant species found in the Amazon, many have been found to contain hormone-like compounds that are quite similar to estrogen and testosterone.  These plants have been traditionally used to treat women with PMS, menopause and miscarriages, and men with impotence and prostatitis.
     One of the most effective herbs from the Amazon for female problems is Suma.  Suma is called "Brazilian ginseng" because of the wide variety of conditions it is used to treat in Brazil.  Researchers report that it acts primarily as a regulator of the endocrine, nervous, musculoskeletal and digestive systems.  Suma is classified as a true adaptogen.  Adaptogens differ from other herbs in that they can be used safely on a daily basis.  Their action is normalizing, as opposed to stimulating or inhibitive.
     Two plant hormones, sitosterol and stigmasterol, occur naturally in suma. These two plant hormones are phytoestrogens, plant compounds that mimic some of the properties of estrogen.  Another plant compound found in Suma, beta-ecdysone, facilitates cellular oxygenation.
     Mary Ellen found that by taking a combination of Amazon herbs containing phytoestrogens, her menopausal symptoms stopped quickly.  Her fears about taking estrogen replacement were eliminated along with her fears of following in her mother's health footsteps.  Plants containing phyto-estrogens have been found to be protective against female hormonal-related cancers, including breast cancer, cancer of the cervix, and endometriosis.
     The incidence of female reproductive system problems such as breast cancer, endometriosis and PMS has increased dramatically within the past thirty years.  Ironically, some experts suggest that organochloride pesticides from the environment (DDT, aldrin, chlordane) - which also mimic estrogen in the body - are responsible for these increases.  Women with these disorders have a higher concentration of pesticides in their bodies than women without these disorders.
     Other herbs from the Amazon which help establish balance during the menstrual cycle or during menopause include Abuta, Maracuja, Marapuama (Muira Puama), Star Anise and Una de Gato.  Many of these herbs do this indirectly by regulating the nervous system.
      Abuta is always carried by midwives in the Amazon for menstrual cramps and pain before and after childbirth.  They report that it prevents miscarriages.  In Ecuador, it has also been known to stop uterine hemorrhages.
      Maracuja, also called Passion Flower, is known throughout the world for its natural sedative properties.  Maracuja is especially helpful in cases of PMS.  It is traditionally used for nervous crises, hysteria, depression, and headaches of nervous origin - symptoms that often occur prior to onset of the menstrual period in susceptible women.