The Science of Getting Your Menopause Groove ON
Ginseng and Menopause Pleasure
If you’re new here…hello and welcome.
And if you’ve been fanning yourself with us for a while, you already know: HOT FLASH! The Newsletter is where menopause lifestyle research becomes real talk—and where we reclaim menopause as a time of insight, agency, and embodied evolution.
This week’s edition started with a single study that caught my attention: researchers were exploring how ginseng might support intimacy and desire in postmenopausal women with major depression. That combination—mood, menopause, and sexuality—doesn’t often get the thoughtful attention it deserves in research, so of course, I wanted to know more.
I went looking for studies that included women without depression, wondering if the results might hold up more broadly in the menopause experience. And what I found was a pleasant confirmation: follow-up studies in healthy postmenopausal women showed similar results.
And there wasn’t just one. There were several—each building a case for ginseng as a non-hormonal option to support pleasure and sexual wellbeing while transitioning and post menopause.
In this edition, we’ll explore:
🔬 The growing body of research behind ginseng and how it might support midlife pleasure (and more)
🌿 What to consider if you’re curious about giving it a try
❤️🔥 Why pleasure in menopause isn’t optional—it’s essential
Because our bodies continue to be a story unfolding. And our pleasure is an important part of the plot.
Rooted in Tradition, Validated in Research
Used for centuries in East Asian medicine, Panax ginseng has long been a go-to for energy, stamina, and vitality—including in the bedroom. It belongs to the class of herbs known as adaptogens, which help the body adapt and restore balance, especially by regulating the effects of your stress response.
And while ginseng has always had a reputation for boosting libido, what’s exciting now is the emerging science: more and more clinical studies are showing it might play a meaningful role in supporting sensual pleasure—especially in menopause, when shifts in blood flow, mood, and self-perception can all affect sexual connection.
So, How Might It Work? Researchers believe ginseng’s impact isn’t about boosting estrogen—it’s about optimizing the body’s other systems that influence desire and pleasure.
Here’s what’s most likely happening:
🧸 Improved blood flow, especially to pelvic tissues, via nitric oxide production
🧠 Boosted dopamine and serotonin, which influence motivation and mood
🌿 Reduced stress response, helping increase relaxation
This isn’t hype. It’s a root with deep traditional use that’s been gaining ground recently in modern science.
What the Research Says
Let’s be clear: we’re not just talking research here. We’re talking gold-standard research.
First up, a 2025 triple-blind, randomized controlled trial—the most rigorous kind of clinical study—focused on how ginseng supports sexual well-being in postmenopausal women with major depression.
2025 Study: Ginseng, Desire + Postmenopause with Major Depression This triple-blind randomized controlled trial explored how ginseng impacted sexual wellbeing in postmenopausal women diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
✅ After 8 weeks of a 250-mg ginseng capsule twice daily after meals, women taking ginseng not only experienced significant improvements in sexual wellbeing, ginseng also seemed to be effective in reducing overall menopause discomfort and depression.
⚠️ Since this population was unique, that opened the door for another question: Did these effects extend to women without clinical depression?
The answer? Yes!!
A 2024 systematic review that looked across 15(!) clinical trials, five of which were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled—again, gold standard—confirmed a convincing pattern.
2024 Systematic Review: The beneficial potential of ginseng for menopause (in the Journal of Ginseng Research - wow! who knew there was such a thing) This review aimed to explore the beneficial effects of Korean red ginseng on menopausal changes.
✅ Out of the 15 trials reported in the systematic review, five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials were highlighted that found beneficial effects in menopausal women who took Korean red ginseng (1–3 g/day) for 4–12 weeks. Across those studies, ginseng was associated with a wide range of benefits, including improved sexual arousal scores (FSFI), quality of life, menopausal comfort, and antioxidant status. Other benefits noted across the studies included reduced fatigue, more steady energy, and even improved heart health markers. Some participants also experienced clearer thinking and a greater overall sense of well-being that may point to cognitive support. In other words, the benefits of this type of ginseng far exceed sexual pleasure!
Sidebar: A Quick Note on Ginseng and Men
While HOT FLASH! centers women and people born female, we occasionally glance across the aisle. That led us to find that ginseng has been studied in men too—and showed mild to moderate improvements in erectile function and satisfaction, as noted in several trials. The mechanisms and how it worked appeared to be similar, i.e. blood flow, feel good hormones, stress regulation.
But it doesn’t stop there…
Ginseng has also shown potential in supporting male prostate health by reducing inflammation and inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer cells. And Korean black ginseng? There is evidence it can help improve symptoms of andropause (yes, male menopause is real too).
So, if someone born male you know is curious about how this applies to them? Let them know there’s research for them, too.
Thinking About Exploring Ginseng? Here’s What to Consider
🌿 Look for Panax ginseng (also called Korean red ginseng), vs American or Siberian varieties
📏 Aim for 1–3g/day of a high-quality, standardized extract
🚫 Check with your provider if you’re taking blood pressure meds, blood thinners, or stimulants
🗓️ Give it time—most studies ran for 4–12 weeks
💖 Use it as a support and combine it with body awareness, open communication, and a mindset of exploration (check out our previous newsletter on the biopsychosocial approach to sexual wellbeing in menopause)
Key Takeaways
✅ A Non-Hormonal Option for Pleasure: Ginseng may help support pleasure, arousal, and satisfaction during and after menopause—without changing hormone levels
✅ Rooted in Whole-Body Support: It works subtly but systemically, through blood flow, neurotransmitters, and stress regulation, offering additional benefits ranging from heart health to antioxidant activity to cognitive support
✅ Plant-Powered and Personal: It’s worth exploring (with your healthcare provider if you're looking for a plant-based way to reconnect with your sensual self
✅ Groove Goals: No, you're not trying to get your groove back. You're exploring what it means to get your groove on—in a whole new way.
Let’s keep rewriting this story—together
This stage of life isn’t about our story ending—it’s about a sexy plot twist. Menopause does not have to mark the end of our sensuality—it can be the beginning of a deeper, more self-defined version. Because we deserve to feel turned on by our life, not turned off by outdated narratives. Because menopause isn’t a shutdown—it’s an awakening. To what’s changing, and what’s newly possible.
Because when we talk about pleasure in this stage, we’re not just talking about sex. Pleasure can reset our nervous system. It can rewire our relationship with our body. It can reconnect us to desire—not just for intimacy, but for life itself.
Our pleasure and our reconnection with what feels good and true in this season of life? That matters.
And if ginseng can help even a little with that? Like much of the research we highlight here at HOT FLASH! The Newsletter and in the Changing with the Change group sessions, that’s worth knowing—and sharing 😉.
Got questions? Want help navigating this research? Schedule a free chat with me about evidence-based menopause coaching or to get info on the next Changing with the Change cohort!
👉Drop us a line if you try ginseng—and let us know what you notice. Your stories fuel the HOT FLASH! The Newsletter community.