Women suffering from menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats often try natural approaches such as herbal remedies or soy supplements. The medical community has been divided about the benefits of such alternative treatments. Is there a product that can cool your hot flashes?
Will Plant-Based Therapies Cool Your Hot Flashes?
In a new study published in JAMA, scientists systematically reviewed randomized clinical trials of the most popular plant-based therapies. They identified 62 studies involving more than 6,000 women who suffered vaginal dryness and night sweats that woke them as well as flushing several times a day.
The researchers were especially interested in randomized controlled trials of products made from plants containing compounds that act like estrogen (phytoestrogens). Ten of the studies were on medicinal herbs; 16 were on black cohosh and 36 were on phytoestrogens.
Soy Seems to Help:
The meta-analysis included only 21 of the phytoestrogen randomized controlled trials. The investigators analyzed these studies together because the results were collected in a way that made apples-to-apples comparison possible. The analysis demonstrated that soy isoflavones and other phytoestrogen supplements produce modest reductions in hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
No Help for Night Sweats:
Sadly, there was no evidence that phytoestrogens can reduce the number of awakenings due to night sweats. This symptom can be extremely disruptive because of sleep loss as well as the discomfort of being drenched in sweat.
Red Clover:
One study of red clover extract had reported a decrease in night sweats, but the red clover studies did not show that women taking red clover had fewer episodes of flushing. As a result, the researchers were not convinced that the findings on night sweats were compelling.
Black Cohosh:
Overall, black cohosh did not seem to help with either night sweats or daytime hot flashes. In two studies, black cohosh in combination with other plant products eased these symptoms and vaginal dryness. One study combined black cohosh with St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). The other focused on an Israeli proprietary product (Phyto-Female Complex) containing dong quai, milk thistle, red clover, American ginseng and chaste-tree berry along with black cohosh.
Other Herbs:
There were too few studies of Chinese medicinal herbs for the scientists to determine their efficacy. This is also true of plant products such as pycnogenol or ERr 731 from Rheum rhaponticum. Some of the studies that have been done appear promising, so we can hope that more will be conducted.
Conclusions from This Analysis:
The authors conclude that plant-based therapies may indeed reduce symptoms of menopausal symptoms and call for more rigorous research. They point out that too few of the studies collected data over a long enough time frame that would offer information on adverse events. This is a big gap in the research that needs to be filled.
If you would like to learn of other ways to cool your hot flashes, you may be interested in our Guide to Menopause. It discusses both hormones and non-hormonal approaches to managing the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany menopause.
