While technically harmless, hot flashes and night sweats can make you miserable and keep you from getting a good night's sleep. Estrogen-replacement therapy may reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, but it comes with increased risk of breast cancer, dangerous blood clots and possibly heart disease. Foods and herbs containing estrogen-like compounds provide a viable natural alternative with less risk of side effects.
Soy Products
Soy, which contains isoflavones that act like estrogen, is one of the primary proposed natural treatments for hot flashes. This includes isoflavone-rich soy foods like tofu, miso, soy milk and roasted soybeans. Getting 30 mg of soy isoflavones or at least 15 mg of the isoflavone genistein daily may reduce hot flashes by up to 50 percent, according to the University of Minnesota's 2008 review of related studies.
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh, a plant native to the northeastern United States, is also among the more promising herbal remedies for hot flashes. Black cohosh preparations appear to reduce menopausal symptoms by around 26 percent, researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, discovered in a 2010 review of seven studies. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommends the herb for short-term relief from hot flashes.
Chasteberry
Chasteberry's use in treating menstrual-cycle related problems dates back thousands of years. Its effectiveness is still unproven, but current evidence supports its use for menopausal symptoms, experts at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in Bundoora, Australia, concluded in a 2009 review of clinical research. This herb alters hormone levels, so if you're taking birth control or hormone-replacement therapy, consult your doctor before trying chasteberry.
Rhubarb Extract
Lindleyin, a plant estrogen in rhubarb, may help ease hot flashes and other problems of menopause. The majority of women taking just one tablet of rhubarb extract daily for six months showed marked improvement in menopausal symptoms, according to a large 2008 study from Health Research Services Ltd. in St. Leon-Rot, Germany. Raw rhubarb can be toxic in large amounts, though, so tablet-form rhubarb extract is the safest option.
Pueraria Mirifica
This herb, known as kwao krua in its native Thailand, contains plant estrogens that may help control menopause-related flushing. Taking one 50 mg tablet of pueraria mirifica daily for three months can significantly decrease hot flashes, suggest results of a small 2004 study from Hat Yai Regional Hospital in Songkhla, Thailand. Individual responses to the herb vary, though, so talk to your doctor about appropriate dosage before you take pueraria mirifica.
References
- New York University Langone Medical Center: Menopausal Symptoms (Other Than Osteoporosis)
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Soy (Glycine max)
- Inflammopharmacology: Soy Consumption for Reduction of Menopausal Symptoms
- National Institutes of Health: Black Cohosh
- Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine: Efficacy of Black Cohosh-containing Preparations on Menopausal Symptoms
