Abstract

Many women are now using herbal medicines to try to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, in light of recent evidence suggesting that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the likelihood of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, venous thromboembolism, heart attacks and stroke.1,–,6 For example, one survey has suggested that around 40% of women in the UK have used complementary and alternative treatments for their menopausal symptoms.7 Here we review the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for the relief of such symptoms.