Beat hot flushes
Find out about the herbs that can help to cool you down
‘I’m having a flush’ is a familiar mid-life cry. Flushes can be severely debilitating at the best of times but in warm weather they often occur more regularly, especially during hot nights when they are called night sweats.
If you repeatedly wake up hot and bothered night after night, exhaustion will soon set in. Physical contact with your partner can also trigger a flush, which often causes relationship problems as feelings of rejection set in.
No on really knows for sure what causes night sweats and hot flushes, but it is thought that the decline in oestrogen that occurs at and around the time of the menopause may affect the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that controls body temperature.
Many women resort to hormone replacement therapy to stop these flushes, but if you would rather take the herbal route there are two herbs in particular that can help to cool things down.
Sage
Also known as salvia officinalis, this member of the mint family contains oestrogen-like substances that have been shown to help relieve hot flushes and night sweats. They appear to have a rebalancing effect on the hypothalamus, a small gland in the brain, which acts as the control centre for regulating body temperature. In an open study, 40 patients were given dried aqueous extract of fresh sage (440mg) and 40 were given infusion of sage (4.5g herb) daily. Both groups of patients experienced a reduction in sweating.
Black cohosh
Native Americans have used black cohosh for more than 200 years, after they discovered the root of the plant helped relieve menstrual cramps and symptoms of menopause. These days it is still used for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, as well as irritability, mood swings and sleep disturbances.
It is not known exactly how black cohosh works but it is thought that the root tubers contain phytoestrogens - plant substances that are similar in structure to human oestrogen - that have a modulating effect on centres of the brain that help control dilation of the blood vessels so helping to reduce menopausal hot flushes and night sweats.
Several studies during the past 10 years, which looked at the effects of black cohosh on menopausal symptoms, have had positive results and in Europe black cohosh is commonly prescribed as an effective natural alternative to HRT for treating hot flushes and night sweats.
Try these
- The moment you feel a flush coming on stop what you are doing, take several deep breaths and try to relax.
- If possible drink a glass of cold water and stay still until the flush passes.
- Wear layers of thin clothes that you can strip off when you start to feel hot. Clothes made of natural fibres such as cotton help your skin to breathe.
- Make sure your bedroom is cool at night and keep a fan, wet wipes, and a cold drink by your bed.
- Use cotton bedclothes and nightwear.
- Quit smoking, Research shows it increases the risk of flushing.
Top tip
To make a sage tea put one or two teaspoons of freshly crushed sage leaves in a covered cup of boiling water and leave to stand for around 15 minutes. Drink three to four cups a day.
Sage is found in MenoSage
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