Hot Flashes
Natural Remedies

Top 5 Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes

| Modified on May 23, 2024
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Beets and Olive Oil
Posted by Clatterbuck (Beltsville, Md) on 05/24/2018
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I seem to have cure my hot flashes and night sweats quite accidentally. I had to start taking antihistamines for something else and I noticed that I was not having hot flashes anymore. I stopped taking the antihistamines and the hot flashes started up again. I was curious so I googled hotflashes and antihistamines and sure enough Zyrtec has done a study showing that women reported fewer hot flashes when they took antihistamines. Well I didn't want to take antihistamines for a long period of time so I did some more googling and I found several website that say hot flashes are caused by too much histamine in your body. Apparently your body creates a chemical called DAO which manages histamine production but DAO production goes down when your estrogen starts to fluctuate.

The sites said that you can increase DAO production with consuming beets, olive oil, pea shoots, and increasing your vitamin C intake. I now eat a beet every day and cook with olive oil. I also moisturize my hands and feet with olive oil. I also have to avoid my histamine triggers which are alcohol, chocolate and picked or fermented foods. I feel cool and comfortable now. I hope this helps someone else.

Vitamin E
Posted by Theresa (Minnesota) on 08/01/2016
★★★★★

Vitamin E works for me. I'm 51 and started having hot flashes almost 2 years ago. At first ACV worked...about 9 months, it was a beautiful thing....then it stopped. I tried loads of other treatments including GNC's packets (didn't work at all), iodine (worked for 3 weeks and then stopped), soy (kinda worked but not totally) and others that didn't work...then I found Vitamin E through this site. I started with 1000 mg using liquid. I put it in my water bottle and sipped it all day. From a different post a reader said she started having hot flashes again while on Vitamin E and reduced her dosage and that seemed to work. I did this also. After 3 or 4 weeks the hot flashes were starting again so I reduced to a 400 mg gel tablet once a day. It works! I still get an occasional hot flash but nothing like I used to.

One other thing I did was to start drinking filtered water. I spent 2 weeks in Mexico this past winter and my hot flashes went away. At the time I was using a soy powder for hot flashes. When I came home I continued with the soy powder but the hot flashes came back with a vengeance. My kids think I'm nuts to filter our "safe" water but they don't have hot flashes...the filtered water may be psychological, I don't know for sure but it works for me. I would chant magic spells if I thought it would keep the hot flashes away.


Glycine
Posted by Alina (Tel Aviv) on 04/27/2021
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

This might just be me, but taking glycine made a huge, immediate difference for me.

I've had hot flashes for about 8 years. At first, ACV helped. Then it didn't. For the last years the hot flashes were severe, accompanied by a feeling of malaise.

I tested the levels of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and saw I was low on glycine (an amino acid). From the first day I started supplementing with glycine in powder form, all the horrible feeling of malaise disappeared.

For now, I still have hot flashes, but they are weak - no comparison.

I've played with the dose. I've taken from 2000 - 5000 mg. I don't really see a difference with more or less.

I hope that helps somebody.

Garlic
Posted by Gina (Toronto) on 09/23/2020
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I have stumbled upon a home remedy for night sweats, which I have had for the past year or more. It is fresh garlic. I changed my diet at the beginning of September to lose Covid weight and started eating a lot more veggies and salads. The one thing I have A LOT of every day, is fresh chopped garlic, about two cloves each time, which I grill first before adding the other vegetables.

About a day or two into eating garlic, my night sweats TOTALLY ceased. My body temperature regulates perfectly now. I am stunned because I tried all sorts of remedies and supplements and nothing helped.

Please try this if you wake up at night pouring with sweat, only to freeze a few minutes later after tossing aside the blankets. I would love to know if it helps others too.

Iodine
Posted by Elizabeth (California, US) on 12/19/2014
★★★★★

I have been meaning to post this for a while now. It's only right that I tell you about my results as I remember how miserable I was 6 months ago. About 1 year ago I started getting really severe hot flashes. I was a walking ember. No kidding, I would have one at least every hour if not more. I had to take a couple of showers a day. At night I would wake every hour drenched in sweat. I had 2 fans on me and still I woke up soaked. This went on for 5 months.

I tried all kinds of remedies like Vitamin E (which did a lot of very good things for my body, but nothing for the hot flashes), black cohosh, Chinese herbs, ACV and countless others. Nothing worked. I was so miserable and sleep deprived and at my wits end. It was unbearable. I was so close to resorting to hormones. Then one day I was cooking and accidently cut my finger so I went into the medicine cabinet and found my iodine. As I was applying it to my finger, I started to remember what iodine does...supports the thyroid which regulates hormones. So I painted a 6"x6" square over my stomach and it disappeared within 3 hours. I painted my arm which disappear pretty quickly as well and then that night I drank 5 drops of liquid kelp (ingestible iodine).

I only had 1 mild hot flash that night and slept through the night for the first time in 5 months. The next morning, I painted again and continued to drink the liquid kelp at night. I have not had one hot flash since and that's been about 6 months ago. I ordered Lugol's and I take it 3x's a week. Ladies, please don't discount a sluggish thyroid if you are having severe hot flashes. Try iodine before resorting to synthetic hormones. Iodine has been a lifesaver for me.

Burdock Root
Posted by Tesslynn (Colorado) on 07/08/2014
★★★★★

I have tried it all, because I had hot flashes in my 40's right after a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage and then my system seemed to go directly into perimenopause with hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations, etc. Black Cohosh calmed that down. And my system regained balance. Then came the light spotting periods at 48 and here came the hot flashes back with a vengence. So I tried progestrone cream, that worked, then it stopped, tried vitex, that didn't. Went to sepia, and that helped my moodiness, then that stopped helping. I read the books, tried all the suggestions and finally had success with omega 3-6-9-taking 8 pills daily. Tried maca, did nothing, rhubarb did nothing, deep breathing didn't help. Acupressure didn't help, nor did the essential oils. Hot flashes were becoming an all day event and forget about quality sleep at 50. Then a series of deaths and funerals in my family, grieving put me into hot flash overdrive, so I had to find something to survive. Added black currant oil to omega dose, and tried burdock root at night, and that has been a godsend combo. Burdock root is a cooling herb and my system was TOO acidic and too hot, despite trying to maintain an aklaline diet. It seemed to tame the fires within. So I recommend giving it a try. It helped me, and continues to cool me off so I can sleep through the night. I have occasional hot flashes if under stress, it seems to wake them up. And so I thought adding the Apple Cider Vinegar might just be the final ingredient needed to balance out my crazy hormones. I do have hypothyroidism, and that makes everything difficult. I recently gave up on prescriptions for that, and am doing WAY better with herbs, meds were just not accomplishing anything anymore. This whole change of life isn't fun, because finding the balance that works for you is a challenge. Every menopause is different, so HANG IN THERE and keep trying what is suggested, if it doesn't help move on. Just stay away from HRT, that is a proven BAD idea. But make sure you start with the basics, a good diet-real food people not the stuff that is laced with junk, regular exercise, and let stuff go, most of what makes us crazy and affects our health isn't WORTH the energy. Focus on serenity, you've earned it at this season of your life!!!!


Vitamin E
Posted by Skyblueyez2 (Greenville, Sc) on 10/02/2013
★★★★★

I am 51 years old and have been SUFFERING with hot flashes AND night sweats since April of 2011 NON STOP! Truly I have. I thought I would go stark raving mad, and I kind of lost it a couple of times with my husband, but not REAL bad! Thank God!

But, I haven't slept through the night in over two years, either, and when I do get to sleep & need to get up for any reason, I can pretty much hang it up for the rest of the night!

I did try the ACV with the 'Mother' and took it straight with a honey chaser for about a week! YUK!! It did seem to work, but the last night I took it before bed, I couldn't keep it down... Needless to say, it's even WORSE coming back up! Doesn't really seem possible, but Trust Me!

Didn't really know what to try next, until a friend of my mom's told her that she and her daughter had only ever used 400 IU of Vitamin E daily, and neither of them has had a problem with either the Hot Flashes or the Night Sweats! I bought a bottle 3 days ago - took one softgel with water about a half an hour before dinner so that it would be easier on my tummy to digest. PERFECT SOLUTION FOR ME - AND YOU I PRAY!!

Please don't give up... Believe me, I have tried it all - HRT, over the counter remedies, herbal combinations. THIS WORKS!! YAAAAAAAY!!! I also talked with another girl at my pup's veternarian's office who said she, too used vitamin E 400 IU, and that she also recommended taking it with Vitamin C, 1000 MG once per day of each. At night, for sleep, she said she takes calcium and magnesium, which I had heard of doing before, and said she sleeps like a baby, without any flashes during the day or sweating through her sheets at night!

I'm staying with this and pray that it continues to work! Try it - I'll send up prayers for you all who suffer with these issues as I have for so long! Oh, yeah... I knew I couldn't go back to drinking the ACV, but had already purhased some capsules from my favorite online vitamin store, so I took them last night and this morning along with the Vitamin E and C - it was an AWESOME DAY! Can't say whether it added anything or whether it was a placebo effect, but I will keep trying to take the ACV as long as it doesn't make me sick again! Prayers PLEASE!

Thank you all for sharing all of your stories here on this site - I do feel that you are all Heaven sent!

Warmest wishes for you all!

Skye :-D


Vitamin E
Posted by Mary (Tx) on 03/11/2016

Vitamin E is almost always made from soy. Soy makes me depressed. So make sure you are not allergic to vit E or soy before taking.

Soy is also full of plant estrogens, which is probably why it works. Too much estrogen is bad for you. Please be careful.


Iodine
Posted by Mister (EUSSR) on 11/04/2022
★★★★★

I've always been the kid that goes to school or work in a T-shirt at all times except the dead of winter. Three years ago, the hot flashes became quite extreme in the morning. I'm a guy so it has nothing to do with menopause :p.

A few months later I started taking iodine (as potassium iodide, orally, roughly 4 mg daily, for a few months) and have been cured for 2.5 years now. I have better resistance to heat in general. When I didn't take iodine for many months, I got the hot flashes back, but they disappear when I take a drop of iodine again (lugol's this time).

There's a lot of fear mongering about iodine on the internet, so I was apprehensive about taking high doses, taking it for a long time, or recommending it to other people. But I haven't been able to identify any negative effects from this kind of low dosing. Only the first two weeks or so I experienced harmless side effects: occasional dips in energy; fluctuations in feeling cold, then hot again; dry mouth and thirst. I made sure to get enough selenium (found in brazil nuts, pork, ...)


Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Lindy (Sussex, England) on 04/08/2017
★★★★★

I started getting hot flashes about two years ago, coinciding with my menopause. I came on to Earth Clinic and read about Blackstrap Molasses. After taking it for 1 day I have never had a hot flash again! Miracle cure. I take it by adding it to my porridge every morning and all I am adding is a tip of a teaspoon dipped into the Blackstrap Molasses, mixed into the hot porridge, stirred and eaten with fruit and yoghurt. It has also stopped my hair falling out too.

Zinc
Posted by Lj (Tacoma, Wa) on 12/09/2013
★★★★★

Zinc worked for my hot flashes. I had tried everything: Vit E, Progesterone cream, Herbs, Phytoestrogens, etc. I started using 1 to 2 zinc lozenges, the kind you buy for colds, otc, and I realized my hot flashes were gone. I had them continuosly throughout the day, with cold flashes too. I feel so much better now.


Supplements That Trigger Hot Flashes
Posted by Rw (Southwest Virginia) on 07/13/2020

Warning!

I was having bad hot flushing (menopausal) that lasted for hours especially in the evening. One day I didn't take the whole foods vitamin c I had been taking and hot flushing was 90% better. So my suggestion is to one by one stop taking your supplements to see if they might be making things worse.


Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Alice (Lincoln, CA) on 10/06/2007
★★★★★

I was feeling very bad in many different ways (mostly from anemia) when I found your site. The most pressing problem I was having was high blood pressure and water retention that had come on quite suddenly and was making me feel like I might explode. The DR gave me meds, of course, they really weren't working (avg BP 160/95 with meds)and I thought I should try other methods rather than have him raise the dosage, and besides, why was I suddenly having this problem?

I had tried ACV along with my mother many years ago when I was a teenager to help with winter athritis and sore throats, but I had forgotten about it. So after reading about it on your site, I immediately started by having 2tbls ACV 1/4tsp baking soda and a little agave nectar for sweetner in a mug of hot water. Within a couple hours of my first mug I was up and about feeling better. My grown son could not believe the transformation. He happened to come by for a visit right when I was drinking that first dose and I changed right before our eyes. I'm so glad he was here to see it so I know I'm not imagining things. I continued using it at least twice a day. The first night I felt so good in my skin, it was wonderful. It took several weeks to get off the BP meds, I had only been on them several weeks before starting ACV so I think I had not become dependent on them. Other people should be very careful about changing their BP meds, DR should monitor this. The water retention problem got better and better each day and finally disappeared after a couple weeks. Last BP check at DRs was 135/85, not bad.

Amazingly, and without me expecting it, my hot flashes that had appeared with a vengence at the same time as the high BP, completely disappeared at that first mugful. It took me a couple days to realize it, but I have not had one since, not ONE hot flash since, and they were rolling in just about one an hour, and believe me they were very thoroughly HOT.

I very patiently waited before writing in to you, and it is over 5 months later now, and I have my mug once a day or more, even while staying away from home (I have been sad to leave organic ACV behind in hotel rooms because I don't know of a good way to travel with it by air). I believe my digestion is better and elimination more regular though I would not have said before that I was particularly troubled in that area. It helps my overall sense of well-being. I can certainly tell if I haven't had some for a day-- I just feel off without it.

I have to add, though, sometimes my ACV doesn't sound good, it kind of hits my stomach funny, gives me a hollow feeling, and sometimes I feel like it heats me up, not quite a hot flash, but not desirable for someone who's had too many hot flashes. I don't know what this aversion is all about, but I manage to make myself have some, even if just a more diluted version of it and in cooler water. I am always glad that I did. After reading more, I think I will try the baking soda in water alone, or the lemon juice with baking soda in water next time the ACV just doesn't sound good.

Thank you so much for this site. I am determined to continue trying things until I feel like I remember I once felt--really well and useful.

B Complex + B5
Posted by Lisa (CO) on 12/27/2022
★★★★★

My hot flashes have vanished by taking a B complex in the morning, then a B-5 (pantothenic acid) midday with a little food and dinner time. The B-5 strengthens the adrenal glands, helping them to make the hormones that you need. It took about a full month for them to completely disappear, but I noticed slow improvement all month long. The B-5 capsules were 500mg each.


Chia Seeds
Posted by Yoya (Washington) on 07/24/2015
★★★★★

I started with hot flashes really bad. I had told myself I'm not going to take hormone therapy. What happen I try multy prenatal vitamins. It helped, hot flashes were gone. In about one year later they came back with full force, I had never been one to drip sweat. Well, this was so bad that I could feel the sweating water running. It was awful specially at night. I give up and went to see a doctor put me on hormone meds. Started the meds and gained 20 pounds during this time. It did help but did not completely so I finished taking the med and stop no more. Then mom told me she was watching the tv show it was about hot flashes they said to take chia seed 1-2 tablespoon full a day. I was all for it. The first day I took it, I only had a few hot flashes. The 2 day none, completely gone. Oh I'm in heaven.

And ever since I've been taking it worked for me and 3 off my friends.


Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by A1aweb (Deltona, Fl) on 01/24/2010
★★★★★

I tried the ACV and baking soda for hot flashes and it works for me. I had been having hot flashes every hour and couldn't sleep at night - this remedy is a lifesaver.


Vitamin E
Posted by Ramona (Boston MA) on 10/04/2023
★★★★★

I've been having hot flashes for about seven years and they've only been worse this past year. Horrible intensity and almost every few minutes. It was crippling ast times. I saw on here a few mentioned vitamin E. So I bought some and take about 1,000mg ( four capsules) every morning and for the past three weeks I have, I have literally not had any. Life changing. Please try it. It took a couple days to kick in but oh my gosh when it did, I was astounded by the difference. Give it a shot.


Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Jo (Canada) on 06/10/2017
★★★★★

I used ACV 2 T in tea temp water with 1/4 tsp baking soda and within 48 hrs hot flashes disappeared. Be careful with ingestion of baking soda as you do not want to lower your alkalinity too drastically. Only use for 3 weeks at a time then give your body a break.



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