Femenol Tincture

What is in the blend

• Black cohosh - a tall plant of the buttercup family from the hardwood forests of eastern North America, with slender spikes of white flowers; the dark, knotted root is used.
• Vitex (chaste tree) - a Mediterranean shrub with fragrant lilac flower spikes and small peppery berries, named for its medieval reputation among monks; the dried berry is used.
• Dong quai - the aromatic root of a Chinese angelica from the cool mountain valleys of Gansu and Yunnan, one of the classic roots of Chinese herbal tradition.
• Motherwort - a tall, bitter mint-family herb with whorls of small pink flowers, named for its long history in the care of mothers; the flowering herb is used.
• St John's wort - a sunny meadow plant with star-shaped yellow flowers that bloom around midsummer; one of the most studied herbs in Europe, and one of the most likely to interact with medicines.
• Wild yam - a twining vine of eastern North American woods with heart-shaped leaves; the knotted tuber is used. It contains diosgenin, a raw material chemists use to make hormones in the laboratory, but the human body cannot make that conversion.
• Flax seed - the small brown seed of the flax plant, the same seed used as a food, rich in mucilage, oil and lignans.

Why a tincture

The seven dried herbs are macerated together in organic alcohol with a little vegetable glycerin and water - the classic herbal method. A tincture keeps for years at room temperature in a cool, dark place, has a bitter, earthy taste with the deep red tint St John's wort gives to alcohol extracts, and a few drops disappear in a glass of water or juice. A serving of 20 to 30 drops is roughly 1 ml of liquid, so the amount of alcohol per serving is small.

How to use

Adults only. Shake well before use. Put the number of drops shown on the label into a little water or juice and drink it, up to the frequency shown on the label. Do not exceed the label serving. Do not use it for more than six months at a time without talking to your practitioner. Avoid strong sun and tanning beds while using it. Store in a cool, dark place with the cap tight.

Tincture or drops?

If you avoid alcohol or prefer a milder taste, the same seven-herb blend is available as Femenol Alcohol-Free Drops - the glycerite version. The herbs and proportions are identical; only the extraction liquid differs. Our Menopause Care Tincture is a different three-herb blend of black cohosh, red clover and red ginseng.