New and herbal alternatives for hot flushes

Abstract

The abrupt decrease of ovarian estrogen production at the menopause leads to vasomotor hot flashes, which is accepted as a leading indication for MHT. Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) with estradiol is the most effective treatment for menopausal complaints. However, many women prefer complementary or alternative remedies such as herbal preparations or nutraceuticals, which are perceived to be more natural than hormones and believed to be safer. Hop is a climbing plant of which the flower cones are an ingredient of many beers. The hop-flavonoid 8-prenylnaringenin(8-PN) is a stronger estrogen than soy isoflavones. There is some evidence that 8-PN may be efficacious against vasomotor complaints. Hops have been shown to contain one of the most potent in vitro estrogenic substance known from the plant kingdom Preparations of hops that contain 8PN must be considered “estrogenic”. It still is open to debate,however, whether or not they can have beneficial hormonal activity when consumed orally by humans. Whereas there are numerous animal studies and some clinical evidence that hops may contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of certain polyherbal sedative preparations, no randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials have been identified that would support the internal use of hops for their estrogenic properties. Considering that sleep disturbances and vazomotor complaints are frequently associated with menopause, and that hops are not only estrogenic but also used traditionally as a sedative, Hop preparations can have a rational place in menopausal medicine.