Turning Down the Heat on Hot Flashes - Ancient Herbs & New Medications

They've been around forever. Natural remedies for relieving the symptoms of menopause.

These are potent drugs and may interact with other medications or have the potential to increase your risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Make sure that you do your research and check with your doctor before you take any medication -- whether it is produced by man or mother nature.

This plant is native to China and Japan. The root is used as a powder. This drug is widely believed to help with hot flashes due to the phytoestrogens that it has been thought to contain. The latest studies are questioning this theory (Hirata, JD et al. Does dong quai have estrogenic effects in postmenopausal women? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Fertil Steril 1997;68:981–86).

Serious drug interactions occur when this herb is taken with blood thinning drugs.

Soy, Daidzen, Genistein, Glycine Max, Isoflavone, Protein (Soy), Soya

Soy is a staple food in many Asian countries. It contains many useful ingredients, including protein, isoflavones, saponins, and phytosterols. The mild estrogen activity of soy isoflavones may ease hot flashes for some women.

In one study, women reported a 33% decrease after 4 weeks and a 45% reduction after 12 weeks (1). Another group of women taking soy reduced their hot flashes by 40% (2).

Because of the ability of the phytoestrogens in soy to mimic the estrogen hormone, many women with estrogen responsive tumors are cautioned about using this supplement (3).

You should be aware of drug interactions and allergies if you plan on adding this supplement to your diet.

1 Albertazzi P, Pansini F, Bonaccorsi G, et al. The effect of dietary soy supplementation on hot flushes. Obstet Gynecol 1998;91:6–11.
2 Murkies AL, Lombard C, Strauss BJ, et al. Dietary flour supplementation decreases post-menopausal hot flushes: Effect of soy and wheat. Maturitas 1995;21(3):189–95.
3 Messina M. To recommend or not to recommend soy foods. J Am Diet Assoc 1994;94:(11):1253–4.

Alfalfa is a member of the pea family native to western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region. Alfalfa herbal supplements primarily use the dried leaves of the plant. The heat-treated seeds of the plant have also been used. Alfalfa sprouts have become a popular food.

The leaves contain about 2–3% saponins, flavones, isoflavones, sterols, and coumarin derivatives. The isoflavones are thought to be responsible for the estrogen-like effects. Alfalfa also contains protein, vitamins A, B1, B6, C, E, K and calcium, potassium, iron, and zinc.

Alfalfa has a long history in Chinese, Native American and Ayurvedic medicine. Many people are allergic to this plant so be watchful for symptoms of allergy if you use this as a dietary supplement.

Another member of the pea family, red clover, grows in Europe and North America. The flowers of the plant are brewed as a tea or dried and taken as a powder.

The isoflavones found in this plant are weak phytoestrogens and have been traditionally used as an herbal remedy in both the Eastern culture and Western folk medicine.

Red clover drug interactions can be serious. Make sure to consult your doctor if you plan to add this supplement. An additional caution with red clover is that the fermented form can cause bleeding and should be avoided. If you purchase this as a supplement make sure that it is nonfermented.

Black Cohosh, Squaw root, Black snake root, Rattle weed (Cimicifuga racemosa)

Black cohosh contains cimicifugin (macrotin) which has estrogenic effects - for hot flashes and vaginal dryness. These estrogenic effects may increase the risk of gynecological cancers. This herb decreases the amount or the effect of LH in your system.

Black cohosh can be found in moist, shady woodlands of the United States and Canada - in the southeast, northern Oregon, Washington, and Ontario. The plant is hardy and tall with feathery white blossoms. The flowers bloom in June and July. The black rhizome along with the root have the medicinal effects.

Cohosh, an Algonquin Indian word meaning “rough,” refers to its gnarly root structure. It contains calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin A factors and phosphorus. The active ingredient is 24-deoxyacteine.

Chamomile, a member of the daisy family, is native to Europe and western Asia, but you can find these little daisy-like flowers in most fields or abandoned lots.

The flowers containing alpha-bisabolol, alpha-bisabolol oxides A & B, and matricin (usually converted to chamazulene). Other active constituents include the bioflavonoids apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin. These active ingredients contribute to chamomile’s anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and smooth-muscle relaxing action, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract.

Dandelions are those little puff balls that blow around your lawn and refuse to be evicted. In addition to giving children hours of entertainment blowing the seeds onto your grass, these weeds are powerful herbs that have been used for centuries to help relieve hot flashes.

One explanation of their benefit is that they are very good at cleaning toxins from your liver.

The high levels of FHS and LH cause the liver to become overworked and this causes hot flashes. Keeping the liver cleansed keep the hot flashes at bay.

The plant originated in central Europe, but now grows all across Europe and Asia. The root is used for medicinal purposes.

Licorice contains glycyrrhizin and flavonoids. It has slight phytoestrogen activity.

This herb interacts with many drugs -- be sure to double check with your physician before taking it. One of the active ingredients, glycyrrhizin, can cause increases in blood pressure and water retention. Deglycyrrhizinated products are available to avoid these problems.

The chasteberry grows on the chaste tree and is is native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia. The trees are found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the eastern and western hemisphere, growing along streams or in areas where water is abundant. The flowers bloom from late spring through early summer. These racemes or "spikes" of flowers can be 5" to 7" long and vary in color from dark purple to white. The round, dark brown to black berries develop from these flowers.

It is believed that Chaste Berry works to eliminate hot flashes by increasing, and thereby normalizing, the progesterone production.

The name of the plant comes from it's historical use. In medieval times chaste berries were used for suppressing libido by the Catholic Church. That has long since been abandoned, but it was noted that the berries also helped with PMS and hot flashes when it was taken by women.

This herb should not be used during any type of hormone treatments. It contains iridoid glycosides, including agnuside, aucubin, and eurostosid and flavonoids including casticin, chryso splenol, and vitexin.

The red raspberry is member of the rose family. The ancient Greeks, Chinese healing traditions, Ayurvedics, and American Indians all recognized the health giving properties of this plant. Raspberry shrubs grow wild along roads and in thickets throughout many parts of the world. The leaves are used as a tea and the roots can be boiled and eaten like turnips.

This herb interacts with many drugs -- be sure to double check before taking it.

People in the middle ages used this yellow petaled flower for its mood enhancing ability. The name is thought to come from Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, the Crusaders who used it for healing wounds. Other sources say it was named because it flowers on June 24th, the day traditionally celebrated as the birthday of John the Baptist.

It was known as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial herb in ancient civilizations. The ancient Greeks thought it the ideal remedy for snake bite and sciatica. Researchers today are studying the anti-viral properties of Hypericum. Chinese herbal medicine regards it as bittersweet, cool and drying.

St. John’s wort is found around the world, but is most prevalent in Europe and the United States -- especially in northern California and southern Oregon. The aboveground (aerial) parts of the plant are gathered during the flowering season.

The active ingredients are hypericin and other dianthrones, flavonoids, xanthones, and hyperforin. It is a natural monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor. Drug interactions are common so be careful and check with your doctor before taking this natural drug.

This drug is taken for the mood swings associated with menopause and does not seem to have an effect on other symptoms.