Menopause is an inevitable stage in every woman's life. It is the time when the decline of hormones significantly affects all body systems. Due to this natural drop in hormones, some natural side effects will also occur. One of the most annoying to most women is hot flashes. This uncomfortable hot sensation drives most women to seek different remedies to alleviate the problem, including natural herbs for hot flashes. Hot flashes are not really a disease, even though it may feel that way. These days, the type of treatment you use can be very important to your future health.

Women's Health Initiative or WHI is an organization concerned with issues relating to menopause. In the past, Hormone Replacement Therapy had become the accepted treatment to ease hot flashes. As the popularity of HRT increased, WHI conducted studies to uncover the risks. The clinical study concluded that the risk of having complications is heightened with HRT. Stroke, blood clots, breast cancer and heart disease are some of the related risks. In addition, there are other side effects associated with HRT, such as breast tenderness and leg pains.

Although HRT can reduce the chances of osteoporosis, the other risks can be far more life-threatening. As women and the medical community became increasingly aware of this, many have increasingly begun using herbs for hot flashes. Studies are continuously conducted to explore the benefits of herbs in medicine, especially in terms of hot flashes. Certain plants are found to be effective for relief of the symptoms.

Soy beans are known to contain isoflavones which are effective chemicals to decrease the harshness of hot flashes. Isoflavones also help in the production of hormones to compensate for the menopausal decline.

Another herb which is frequently recommended even by medical science is black cohosh. It has an efficiency percentage of 90% when used to relieve symptoms, making it the most effective herb for hot flashes. Scientific laboratory tests have further demonstrated the advantages of black cohosh. One of the big ones is that this herb neither encourages the growth of the cancerous estrogens nor thickens the lining of the uterus. In addition, there are other health benefits that black cohosh offers aside from those associated with hot flashes.

Other herbs that can relieve hot flashes are red clover plants. Historically, native healers made use of these plants to correct hormonal imbalances. For those women who have allergies to soy beans, red clover is a good alternative. It also contains isoflavones similar to those found in soy, making it another good herb for hot flashes.

Sarsaparilla is another herb that has become a popular subject for studying hot flash remedies, as well as cancer prevention. Just like red cover, sarsaparilla has also been used to correct hormonal imbalance going all the way back to the infancy of this country. To guarantee the effectiveness of these herbs for hot flashes, sarsaparilla can be added to black cohosh and the combined nutrients can be used as dietary supplements for menopausal women.

Natural herbs are safe and economical to use. There are rare side effects reported of those utilizing the natural greens in the environment. However, since the use of these herbs involves traditional medicine, some doctors may express their doubts. On the other hand, before trying any herbs for hot flashes, it is important to discuss it with your doctor first. The severity of your symptoms will have a lot to do with your final choice of treatment.