Skip to main content

Treatments · a natural route

Natural remedies, backed by research.

Lots of people start with plants, minerals and mind-body care before, alongside or instead of hormone therapy. That's a reasonable choice. Everything here has at least one human study behind it, so you can choose with your eyes open.

How to read this page

  • Stronger evidence: good trials, recommended by The Menopause Society.
  • Some evidence: several trials pointing the same way, though not always in menopause.
  • Early evidence: one or two small trials with a real, promising signal.
  • Mixed evidence: some trials found a benefit, others didn't.

Hormone therapy still has the strongest evidence for hot flashes and night sweats. Choosing a natural route now doesn't close that door, and you can revisit it any time.

Hot flashes and night sweats

The approaches with the strongest backing here aren't pills at all. They're two kinds of talking and mind-body care, both recommended by The Menopause Society.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

Stronger evidence

Used for: Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep and mood

What the research shows

In a trial of 140 people, both group CBT and a self-help CBT book made hot flashes and night sweats feel much less of a problem within 6 weeks, and the benefit was still there at 6 months. Night sweats became less frequent too. CBT doesn't always stop the flashes; it changes how much they disrupt your day and sleep.

How it was studied

Group sessions or a guided self-help book, over about 4 to 6 weeks.

Safety, plainly

  • No known physical risks. It works alongside any other treatment.

Sources

Clinical hypnosis

Stronger evidence

Used for: Hot flashes and the sleep they interrupt

What the research shows

In a trial of 187 postmenopausal people, five weekly hypnosis sessions cut reported hot flashes by about 74% by week 12, compared with 17% in the comparison group. Hot flashes measured by a monitor fell too.

How it was studied

Five weekly sessions with a trained practitioner, plus daily practice with a recording.

Safety, plainly

  • No known physical risks. Look for someone trained in clinical hypnosis, not stage hypnosis.

Sources

Soy isoflavones

Mixed evidence

Used for: Mild hot flashes

What the research shows

Pooling 17 trials, soy isoflavone supplements reduced how often hot flashes happened by about 21% and how strong they felt by about 26%, compared with placebo. Results varied a lot between trials, and The Menopause Society doesn't currently recommend soy for hot flashes. Some people notice a difference; many don't.

How it was studied

A median of 54 mg of isoflavones a day, for 6 weeks to 12 months.

Safety, plainly

  • Soy as food (tofu, edamame, tempeh) hasn't shown harm in large studies of breast cancer survivors.
  • Concentrated supplements are a different conversation if you've had a hormone-sensitive cancer. Check with your oncology team.

Sources

Red clover

Mixed evidence

Used for: Hot flashes, often as a tea or extract

What the research shows

Red clover contains the same plant-estrogen family as soy. Reviews of the trials show a small and inconsistent benefit for hot flashes.

Safety, plainly

  • Like concentrated soy, it's worth checking with your oncology team after a hormone-sensitive cancer.

Sources

Black cohosh

Mixed evidence

Used for: Hot flashes and night sweats

What the research shows

It's one of the most popular hot-flash herbs, but a Cochrane review didn't find it worked better than placebo. Some people still find it helps, and it's reasonable to try a short course if you go in with clear eyes.

Safety, plainly

  • Rare liver injury has been reported. Stop and see a doctor if you notice yellowing skin or eyes, dark urine or unusual tiredness.
  • Short courses are the norm, and tell your doctor or pharmacist you're taking it.

Sources

Mood, stress and sleep

Small trials, real signals. These are worth trying with realistic expectations.

Saffron

Early evidence

Used for: Low mood, and hot flashes that come with it

What the research shows

In a trial of 60 postmenopausal people with low mood and hot flashes, saffron improved both depression scores and how much hot flashes disrupted daily life over 6 weeks, compared with placebo. Side effects were no different from placebo. It's one small trial, so treat it as promising.

How it was studied

30 mg a day (15 mg twice daily) for 6 weeks.

Safety, plainly

  • If you take an antidepressant or other mood medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist before adding it.
  • If you're struggling with your mood, please talk to someone. A supplement isn't a substitute for support.

Sources

Ashwagandha

Early evidence

Used for: Stress, sleep and perimenopause symptoms

What the research shows

In a trial of 91 perimenopausal people, ashwagandha root extract lowered menopause symptom scores more than placebo over 8 weeks, across mood, physical and urogenital symptoms. In another trial of adults aged 40 to 75, fatigue improved but stress improved just as much on placebo, so the effect may be modest.

How it was studied

300 mg of root extract twice daily for 8 weeks.

Safety, plainly

  • Skip it if you have a liver condition. Liver injury is very rare but has been reported.
  • Stop and see a doctor if your skin or eyes turn yellow, or you get unusual itching or nausea.
  • Ask first if you have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medicine.

Sources

Magnesium

Early evidence

Used for: Falling asleep, muscle cramps and constipation

What the research shows

Across three small trials in older adults, magnesium helped people fall asleep about 17 minutes faster than placebo. Total sleep time didn't change much, and the evidence is rated low quality. There isn't yet a good trial in people going through menopause specifically.

How it was studied

Glycinate is gentle on the gut and the usual pick for sleep. Stay at or under 350 mg a day from supplements unless a doctor suggests more.

Safety, plainly

  • Loose stools are the most common side effect. Lower the dose if it happens.
  • Ask your doctor first if you have kidney disease.
  • Space it a few hours from some antibiotics, thyroid medicine and bone-density medicine.

Sources

Joint pain and stiffness

Joint aches are one of the most common midlife complaints, and this is the natural option with the most trials behind it.

Turmeric (curcumin)

Some evidence

Used for: Knee and joint pain

What the research shows

Across 16 trials with more than 1,800 adults with knee osteoarthritis, turmeric extracts eased pain and improved movement compared with placebo, and worked about as well as common anti-inflammatory painkillers. These trials weren't done in menopause specifically, and they lasted up to 16 weeks.

Safety, plainly

  • Cooking with turmeric is fine. Concentrated capsules are different.
  • High-dose capsules can affect how the liver handles some medicines, including some cancer medicines and blood thinners. Ask a pharmacist.
  • Rare liver injury has been reported with concentrated supplements.

Sources

Popular, but the research hasn't backed them

You'll see these on a lot of shelves. We're not saying nobody feels better on them, only that the studies so far haven't shown a benefit, or the safety questions outweigh it.

Interactions worth knowing

"Natural" doesn't mean it can't interact with medicines. A pharmacist can check your whole list in a few minutes, for free.

Had cancer, or on cancer treatment? Our interaction checker covers more than 50 herbs, supplements and medicines, with the research behind each one.

Open the interaction checker

Questions for your doctor, specialist or pharmacist

  • Is there anything in my health history or medicines that makes this a poor fit?
  • Should I have any blood tests, like liver or thyroid, before or after starting?
  • How long should I give it, and how will we know if it's working?
  • If it doesn't help, what would you suggest next?
Read the full supplements library Read where supplements fit alongside MHT

Take this with you

Save the doctor-questions list