By Matthew Solan

Researchers may have discovered a new, healthier alternative to hormone-replacement therapy, a popular remedy for menopause complaints. A study in the Scandinavian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology gives an initial thumbs up to the use of pycnogenol, a pine-bark extract, to quell common menopause symptoms like hot flashes, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and lack of sex drive. About 150 perimenopausal women received either 200 mg of pycnogenol or a placebo daily. After six months, those on pycnogenol reported significant improvement in all menopause symptoms, with no adverse side effects, while the placebo group showed no significant change. Even better: Those supplementing with pycnogenol also saw their LDL cholesterol levels drop by 10 percent and their antioxidant levels increase.