Stop suffering from the effects of hot flashes. There are many great natural remedies to help restore hormonal balance. Here are some remedies for hot flashes:
Maca:
A traditionally-used plant of the native people of Peru as far back as 3800 BC, maca is a root that provides a tonic for the whole endocrine system of the body, thereby helping to balance hormones, restore depleted glands, and improving the body’s ability to cope with stresses of all kinds, including hormonal changes. Most women who’ve used maca notice a significant drop in hot flashes. Dosage varies from product to product so it’s best to follow package instructions and choose certified organic as much as possible. Available in powder from sources such as ‘superfoods’. Very effective to take as a booster with your smoothies.
Black Cohosh:
Black cohosh is a herb that has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years to treat hormonal imbalances linked to menstrual cramps and menopausal symptoms. Today, herbalists use the herb or its extract to treat a wide variety of hormonally-linked symptoms, including: hot flashes, irritability, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and vaginal dryness. A typical dose is two to three cups of tea daily, one teaspoon of extract two to three times daily, or in capsule form (follow package instructions).
Clary Sage Essential Oil:
Due to oestrogen-like properties, clary sage essential oil can help balance hormones in both menstruating and menopausal women. It may decrease excessive menstruation, lactation, and alleviate menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. The most direct route affect hormones in the brain is through inhalation; however, diluting sage essential oil diluted in a massage oil like sweet almond or grapeseed and massaging it onto the abdomen can also be beneficial.
Aromatherapy Blend:
To deal with hot flashes that just aren’t responding to the more common remedies, you can blend together 8 drops of each: basil, bay laurel, peppermint, clary sage, and star anise together in 50 ml of a carrier oil like sweet almond oil, and blend together. Rub a few drops of this remedy on the insides of your wrists or arms whenever you are having hot flashes up to three times daily, it tends to work within a few days for most people.
Vitamin C:
Hot flashes can also be a sign that your adrenal glands (two triangular-shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys and help our bodies cope with all sorts of stresses) are overwhelmed. Give them a boost by deep breathing, cutting back on caffeine, and upping your vitamin C intake. The adrenal glands use more vitamin C than any other organ or gland in the body. Vitamin C is essential to manufacture adrenal gland hormones. With regard to hot flashes, vitamin C takes some time to help rebuild the adrenal glands so you’ll most likely notice improvement over time.
Ginseng:
Ginseng also helps boost the adrenal glands, thereby helping with hot flashes over time.
Red Clover:
Because hot flashes can be a sign of oestrogen imbalances, the herb red clover can sometimes help restore balance. Red clover contains natural oestrogenic substances known as isoflavones that can help boost low levels of oestrogen in the body. A typical dose is 2 to 3 cups of red clover tea daily.
Isoflavones:
Isoflavones have been shown in studies to lessen the difficult symptoms many women face during the menopausal years, particularly hot flashes. In addition to red clover, you can also obtain more isoflavones in your diet by drinking 1 to 2 cups of organic soy milk daily and eating MSG-free miso soup three to four times per week. Many restaurants claim their miso soup is free of MSG, but they may still be using ingredients such as chicken base or soy sauce that contain the harmful ingredient. When eating soy, be sure to choose one that is organic and guaranteed to be free of genetically-modified (GM) ingredients. Or, stick with red clover or chickpeas instead if you want to avoid soy.
Women have found many Western herbs effective in treating hot flashes over the centuries. They include ginseng, evening primrose oil, hops, licorice root, red raspberry leaves, sage, spearmint, damiana, motherwort, chasteberry (also known as Vitex), black cohosh, and wild yam.
These herbal remedies can be very effective at reducing hot flashes but their relative safety in women who have had breast cancer is not completely known. Please use herbal medicine with great caution, always have an herbalist or naturopath’s advice, and let your oncologist know what you plan to do.
Do also up your intake of cruciferous vegetables, as well as your dark leafy greens, and ditch the dairy, meat and eggs.
~ Active Vegan ~ 