The Science behind our Meno Mist ingredients
Those of you suffering from the Symptoms of menopause know what they are, so I will not waste our time on explaining them. What I do want to very shortly point out is how essential oils and other ingredients can help to relieve those symptoms. There really is science behind our Meno Mist ingredients and why they can help to:
Balance your oestrogen levels
Cool your hot flashes and night sweats
Tone and refresh your skin
Decrease stress and depression
Induce deeper sleep
Reduce menstrual pain and discomfort
Minimize painful menstrual cramps and Pre Menstrual Syndrome
And for those of you who are scientifically minded, I have linked some of the studies – I could not do them all – there are too many…but if you are interested in the science behind our Meno Mist ingredients just Google for research papers on menopause & the ingredient’s name.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Inhaling Clary Sage:
Regulates hormones – has an oestrogen-like quality. It reduces the intensity and frequency of hot flushes and night sweats
Lowers stress and depression – A 2010 study found that clary sage oil has very potent anti-stress effects and can be used to treat depression. The effect of the oil is closely linked to the feel-good hormone dopamine. Another study of menopausal women in their 50’s found that inhaling clary sage oil decreased cortisol levels (a.k.a. stress) significantly, while 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) concentration (a.k.a. happy) was significantly increased
Lowers blood pressure, calms breathing, lowers anxiety and reduces insomnia
Improves mental functions – improved memory, greater alertness, and potential Alzheimer’s-fighting effects
Inhibits aging-induced reduction in muscle mass and function in women – increases secretion of oxytocin in postmenopausal women
Topical use of Clary Sage oil:
Enhances wound healing – anti-inflammatory actions
Combats ageing – anti-oxidant activity
Treats wounds and skin infections – antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal functions
WARNING: Avoid using Clary Sage while drinking alcohol, and avoid while pregnant or nursing. It is also contraindicated in cases of oestrogen dependant cancers.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Inhaling peppermint essential oil:
Reduces mental fatigue and improves concentration by acting as a central nervous system stimulant. Improvement on tasks related to attentional processes, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor response
Treats headaches and migraines (also when used topically)
Topical use of peppermint oil:
Calms and soothes redness, itchiness, rashes, and other skin irritations
Relieves pain – calcium antagonism in peppermint oil helps in removing pain. This oil may also help relieve cramping during menstrual cycles and peri-menopause
Eases the sting of sunburn
Refreshes the mind, body and mood – Tests show participants felt significantly more attentive, alert, energetic and cheerful 20 minutes after inhaling peppermint oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Inhaling Lavender Oil:
Promotes relaxation, reduces stress, depression and anxiety. It has the highest anti-anxiety rating of all the essential oils, promotes deep and restful sleep
Topical use of Lavender oil:
Inhibits aging-induced reduction in muscle mass and function in women
Reduce the duration of and inconvenience of primary dysmenorrhea and the impact it has on patients’ day-to-day life
Geranium Essential Oil
Inhaling Geranium oil:
Manage hormonal changes – A study found that aromatherapy with geranium essential oil stimulates secretion of salivary oestrogen
Relieves depression and anxiety – Geranium helps menopausal women manage mood swings, irritation and anger. Women who used geranium essential oil had an improvement in depression after 8 weeks
Topical use of Geranium oil:
Relieves dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
Rose Essential Oil
Rose oil does not only smell divine, it is also estrogenic and has been used through the ages to treat menstrual problems.
Inhaling Rose Oil:
Reduces anxiety and depression by influencing the central nervous system
Topical use of Rose Oil:
Relieves pain – contains flavonoids that have analgesic effects
Combats ageing – contains antioxidants like vitamin C, free-radical scavengers, lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects – considered a medical source for the treatment and prevention of many free radical diseases
Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
Ylang-ylang is best-known for its intoxicating fragrance, which calms and uplifts mind and body, but it does so much more!
Inhaling Ylang-Ylang:
Relieves symptoms of menopause – such as low libido
Treats insomnia, stress and depression – relaxing, sedative effect – decreases blood pressure, pulse rate and stress levels
Increases alertness and attentiveness – harmonizes physical relaxation and mental alertness – significantly decreasing blood pressure and pulse rate, as well as significantly increasing subjective attentiveness and alertness
Topical use of Ylang-Ylang:
Combats ageing – excellent anti-oxidant with high free radical scavenging properties
Treats hyperpigmentation – inhibits production of melanin
Basil Essential Oil
Inhaling and topical use of Basil Oil:
Basil increases oestrogen levels and improves mood as it contains an oestrogen-like component.
Thyme Essential Oil
Thyme balances progesterone. It has the highest antioxidant activity of all the essential oils, improving circulation, reducing scars and fine wrinkles.
Fennel Seed Oil
Fennel stimulates the production of oestrogen by the adrenal glands after the ovaries have stopped functioning. It is a hormone balancer, and has been used for thousands of years for its effects on the female reproductive system. A new study confirms that it is also effective in the management of postmenopause symptoms such as hot flashes, sleeplessness, vaginal dryness, and anxiety. Fennel also reduces depression and anxiety. It relieves vasomotor symptoms, vaginal itching, dryness, dyspareunia, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, and sleep distribution.
Camphor Oil
Camphor Oil has cooling properties that can help to relieve hot flushes and night sweats. It is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, improves blood circulation and can be used topically to reduce pain and relieve skin irritation.
Flax Seed Oil
Flax seed oil acts like a skin conditioner, it improves the smoothness of skin and reduces irritation. The omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseed oil help reduce the appearance of wrinkles by repairing skin cells and increase the speed of wound healing. It is helpful in treating conditions such as rosacea, dermatitis and psoriasis.
Hempseed Oil
Hempseed oil is perfect for most skin types as it moisturizes without clogging pores. One of the omega-6 fatty acids in hemp oil is gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory while simultaneously encouraging skin growth and new cell generation. This can help to calm inflammation and irritation in the skin. It can also reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause.
Soybean Oil
Soybean oil contains soy phytosterols, which have shown a positive effect on skin barrier recovery. It has also shown antioxidative activity. One study showed that it enhances the skin’s natural barrier to help retain moisture. Another study found that topically applying soybean oil helped protect against skin inflammation caused by ultraviolet radiation. Soybean oil is also rich in vitamin E, an anti-inflammatory nutrient that can support skin health through free-radical scavenging and protect against skin damage.
Witch Hazel
Topical use of Witch Hazel:
Tightens pores through astringent action due to tannins it contain.
Protects Against Skin Damage
– powerful antioxidant properties help protect skin against damage.
– tannins act as a barrier, preventing inflammation-causing substances from entering skin cells.
Protects against cancer
– helps neutralize harmful free radicals and prevents the spread of skin cancer cells.
– slows skin tumor growth in mice exposed to radiation.
Combats ageing – due to antioxidants and high polyphenolic contents that neutralize free radicals.
Reduces inflammation and swelling – contains many compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties, including gallic acid and tannins. – can therefore be used for treatment of inflammatory-related issues, such as acne, eczema or psoriasis.
Soothes skin irritation – treats rashes, inflamed, irritated or broken skin.
Fights acne – powerful anti-inflammatory properties, also prevents acne-causing bacteria from infecting skin.
Treats Sunburn – anti-inflammatory properties help reduce discomfort from sunburn.
Clears up razor bumps – antiseptic, anti-bacterial, soothing and anti inflammatory – contains many compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties, including gallic acid and tannins.
Aloe Ferox Liquid Gel
Aloe Vera is a well-known ingredient in beauty and health products. In this case we have used our own locally harvested Aloe Ferox instead of the American Aloe Vera. This is not only because we always try to buy and support local, but also because Aloe Ferox is sooooo much better than Aloe Vera!
Aloe Ferox has 20 times more nutritional and medical activities and value
It has over 130 biological active compounds like fatty acids, sterols, sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids and carbohydrates
Its healing properties are much more powerful than those of the Aloe vera plant.
- It has 36% more amino acids that protect skin from free-radicals to reduce signs of ageing
So, here is the long list of reasons that Aloe Gel is so good for the skin:
- Prevents and relieves postmenopausal symptoms – in an in vitro. study, Matsuda et al. (2001) found that A. ferox. extracts enhanced proliferation of MCF-7 cells, indicating that they have estrogenic activity
- Prevents ageing of skin – contains anti-oxidants like phenolic acids/polyphenols, indoles and alkaloids identified that has superior anti-oxidant activity to green tea and grape seed extracts that works by suppressing free radical generation
- Improves complexion
- Improves skin condition – Smooths and hydrates skin
- Prevents and treats hyperpigmentation – Aloe Ferox has 28% higher Aloin than Aloe Vera and also contains Aloesin – both of these are excellent at getting rid of age spots. It also protects
- Protects against solar radiation – Aloesin is known to absorb light, particularly in the ultraviolet B (UVB) region
Heals skin and wounds – encourages wound contraction by increasing collagen activity and stimulating tissue regeneration while at the same time treating skin irritation and inflammation through its antimicrobial activity (has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal actions)
Alleviates sunburn– provides significant relief in acute sunburn
Offers pain relief – analgesic activity
Treats dermatitis – inhibits the cutaneous inflammatory response, useful alternative to antihistamines and topical corticosteroids, for the treatment of patients suffering from recurring chronic dermatitis
Lastly – it has no dermal toxicity or side-effects