The Shift vs. O Positiv MENO: Which Fits Your Symptoms?

Creator: Project M
Published: 2026-08-24

Updated August 2026

One of these products probably reached you through your social feed. The other took a longer road: a formula that physicians across Asia have prescribed for more than 600 years.

Both call themselves menopause support. Both are herbal, hormone-free, and easy to order. And they are built for different women, with different symptom pictures. That is not a knock on either one. It just means the useful comparison is fit.

This page lays out what each product contains, what the evidence says, and which symptom cluster each was designed around.

O Positiv MENO is a gummy-format menopause supplement built around black cohosh, ashwagandha, and chasteberry, while The Shift is a 10-herb Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) capsule protocol designed for the tense, can't-unwind side of perimenopause and menopause.

Key takeaways

MENO's flagship gummy delivers black cohosh (40 mg), ashwagandha KSM-66 (150 mg), chasteberry (40 mg), vitamin D, and B6 in two daily gummies, positioned for hot flashes, night sweats, and mood. Source: O Positiv MENO product page
Evidence for black cohosh on hot flashes is mixed. A Cochrane review of 16 trials found insufficient evidence to support or oppose its use. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
The Shift is a modified Jia Wei Xiao Yao San, a 10-herb TCM formula. In our 30-day consumer research study, the heaviest symptoms were brain fog (3.27 out of 5) and tension (3.21), while hot flashes scored lowest (1.73). Source: Project M study results
Format shapes dose. A gummy holds a limited amount of botanical material per serving. Capsule protocols can carry full traditional doses.

What O Positiv MENO is

O Positiv MENO is the flagship gummy in O Positiv's menopause line. The serving is two Berry Breeze gummies a day, providing vitamin D (15 mcg), vitamin B6 (2 mg), ashwagandha KSM-66 root extract (150 mg), black cohosh root extract (40 mg), and chasteberry fruit extract (40 mg). Source: O Positiv MENO product page

O Positiv positions MENO for hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, stress, and occasional sleeplessness. The brand built a large social following, sells at major retailers like Target, and offers adjacent MENO products plus a capsule version of the core formula.

MENO's genuine strengths are accessibility and ease. It tastes good, it is simple to remember, and it asks almost nothing of your routine. For a first-time supplement user who wants a low-commitment step, that matters.

What the ingredient evidence shows

MENO's ingredients have real research behind them, with caveats on dose and consistency. We could not find a published clinical trial of the MENO product itself; the brand's claims rest on studies of its individual ingredients.

Black cohosh is the classic Western herb for hot flashes, and the research is genuinely mixed. Some trials show benefit, but a 2012 Cochrane review of 16 trials covering 2,027 women concluded the evidence was insufficient either way. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Our full breakdown: black cohosh for menopause.
Ashwagandha has stronger footing for stress and mood. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in perimenopausal women found ashwagandha root extract improved climacteric symptoms and quality of life. That trial used 300 mg twice daily, or 600 mg per day. MENO's gummy provides 150 mg. Source: Gopal et al., 2021, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research. More detail: ashwagandha for menopause.
Chasteberry has its best evidence in premenstrual symptoms rather than menopause specifically.

The independent Illuminate Labs review rated MENO's active ingredients as well chosen, while flagging the gummy's added sugar and inactive ingredients as its main drawbacks. Source: Illuminate Labs MENO review

What The Shift is

The Shift is Project M's daily herbal protocol for perimenopause and menopause, built on a modified Jia Wei Xiao Yao San: a 10-herb TCM formula that has been the standard of care in Asia for more than 600 years. It is made in the USA and third-party tested.

The formula works as an architecture, not a list. Bupleurum (Chai Hu) leads, supporting the body's stress response. Peony (Bai Shao) softens tension. Gardenia (Zhi Zi) and Moutan vent internal heat. Ginger and Licorice guide absorption. Each herb holds a defined role, like instruments in an ensemble.

That design points at a specific symptom picture: the woman who is exhausted but unable to switch off. Brain fog. Irritability. Tension in the neck and jaw. Waking at 3am with a busy mind rather than a soaked nightshirt.

Our 30-day consumer research study confirmed this is the real burden for many women. Brain fog scored highest at 3.27 out of 5, with tension close behind at 3.21. Vasomotor symptoms, meaning hot flashes and night sweats, scored lowest at 1.73, with only 2% at high severity. Source: Project M study results

The Shift is a protocol, not a treat. It is 4 capsules a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon or evening, every day. That is a real commitment compared with two gummies, and it is the tradeoff that lets a full traditional formula arrive at full strength.

A note on format: gummies and capsules

Format is a design constraint, not a moral failing. A gummy has to taste good and hold together, so most of its weight goes to the sugar and pectin base. That caps how much botanical material fits in a serving, which is why MENO's herbal doses sit in the tens of milligrams.

Capsules skip the candy base, so nearly all of their contents can be herb. A capsule protocol can deliver several grams of botanical extract across a day. The two formats are simply built to carry different loads, and it is fair to know that before you choose.

The Shift vs. MENO at a glance

	O Positiv MENO	The Shift by Project M
Approach and tradition	Modern Western herbalism plus vitamins	Modified Jia Wei Xiao Yao San, a TCM formula used for 600+ years
Format	2 gummies daily (capsule version also sold)	Capsule protocol: 8 daily at first, then 4
Key ingredients	Black cohosh 40 mg, ashwagandha KSM-66 150 mg, chasteberry 40 mg, vitamins D and B6	10 herbs in a hierarchical formula, led by Bupleurum (Chai Hu) and Peony (Bai Shao)
Primary target symptoms	Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, occasional sleeplessness	Brain fog, tension you can't unwind, irritability, 3am wakings
Evidence base	Ingredient-level studies; mixed results for black cohosh; no published product trial found	600+ years of clinical use in Asia; our 30-day consumer research study; third-party tested
Who it fits best	First-time supplement users who want an easy gummy and lead with hot flashes	Women whose main burden is the nervous-system cluster and who want a full-dose protocol

Which one fits your symptoms

Start from your symptom picture, not the packaging.

If hot flashes and night sweats lead, and you want the easiest possible habit, MENO is a reasonable place to start. Its formula was assembled around vasomotor and mood claims, and the gummy takes zero willpower. Our guide to hot flashes and night sweats covers what else helps that cluster.

If your nights are broken by a mind that will not power down, and your days by fog and a short fuse, that is the cluster The Shift was built for. It is the pattern our 30-day consumer research study found most severe, and where a full-dose, multi-herb formula aimed at the stress response earns its keep.

If you sit in both camps, pick the lane that costs you the most sleep, energy, or patience. Give one product a fair 8 to 12 week run, then reassess.

A note for your doctor

Bring the label of whatever you choose to your next appointment. Black cohosh has rare reports of liver-related concerns, ashwagandha can interact with thyroid medication, and The Shift's herbs deserve the same disclosure, especially if you take prescriptions or use hormone therapy. Herbal support works best inside medical care, not around it.

Two products, two lanes. Match the formula to the symptom picture, and the choice mostly makes itself.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take The Shift and MENO together?

We recommend choosing one, not stacking them. The two work in overlapping botanical territory: MENO's ashwagandha and The Shift's formula both act on the stress response, so doubling up muddies the signal. Pick the lane that matches your loudest symptoms, run it for 8 to 12 weeks, and tell your doctor exactly what you are taking.

Does MENO work for hot flashes?

The evidence is mixed. MENO's hot flash positioning rests mainly on black cohosh, and a Cochrane review of 16 trials found insufficient evidence to support or oppose black cohosh for menopausal symptoms, while some individual studies do show benefit. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Some women report real improvement; the research does not yet guarantee it.

Which is better for mood and brain fog?

The Shift was designed for exactly this cluster, while MENO treats mood as one claim among several. The Shift's 10-herb formula centers on the stress response, and brain fog (3.27 out of 5) and tension (3.21) were the top symptoms in our 30-day consumer research study. MENO's 150 mg of ashwagandha has mood-relevant evidence, but the perimenopause trial showing benefit used 600 mg per day. Source: Gopal et al., 2021

Are gummy supplements as strong as capsules?

Usually not, because the format limits the dose. A gummy is mostly its base of syrup, sugar, and pectin, which leaves room for herbal extracts in the tens of milligrams per serving. Capsules are nearly all active material, so a capsule protocol can deliver grams of botanicals per day. For vitamins a gummy works fine; for botanical formulas, capsules hold more.

The Shift

Ancient Wisdom. Modern Balance.

One daily blend for the whole transition, rooted in centuries of wisdom and backed by modern science.

86% saw improvements within 30 days
Hormone-free, no hidden junk
90 day risk free guarantee

Start The Shift