Depression and anxiety can hit post-menopausal women seemingly from out of the blue. This happens as hormone levels fall and a woman's body struggles to adjust to life without much estrogen. If this sounds like you, worry no more. A new study shows that post-menopausal women can cut their depression and anxiety by more than 75 percent by taking an all-natural and non-toxic plant extract.
Plant used to treat hot flashes also boosts mood
Scientists recruited 109 post-menopausal women with depression or anxiety. Half of the women received a placebo and the other half got an extract from the red clover plant every day for 90 days.
Red clover is a plant that helps to purify the body of toxins. It also contains natural isoflavones, plant-based chemicals that act like estrogen in a woman's body, which is why so many women use it to cope with hot flashes during menopause. And now we know that red clover can even help stabilize a woman's mood following menopause.
In fact, in the recent study, women who took 80 mg of red clover extract for 90 days cut their anxiety by 76 percent. They also cut their symptoms of depression by a whopping 80 percent! On the other hand, those women taking a placebo only cut their symptoms by about 20 percent.
And here's the final bit of good news: unlike HRT (hormone replacement therapy), red clover is completely non-toxic and won't increase your risk of breast cancer. So just give it a try if you're post-menopausal with the occasional bout of depression or anxiety.