When you have hot flashes menopause

My story

Several people I know have had very different experiences of menopause. For Mum, it went like clockwork! Just like her pregnancies and births. She did experience a few hot flashes, especially at night, but nothing too disabling. On the other hand, one of her friends really suffered, with heavy sweating both during the day and at night, having to change her nightgown 2 or 3 times a night, and feeling uncomfortable during the day when the heat began to rise and the drops of sweat began to bead. Not easy when you work in a “public” job. And you don’t particularly want to feel like you’re crossing a threshold!

My tip

During perimenopause or menopause, I recommend taking clary sage hydrosol “over the long term”, by diluting 3 tablespoons of hydrosol in 1 liter of water, to be drunk during the day. This tip works well for some people, but is not always sufficient. In this case, I recommend diluting 100 drops of clary sage essential oil with 100 drops of vegetable oil in a 10 ml amber bottle, and massage 1-2 drops of this mixture into the solar plexus (at the base of the sternum) and 2-3 drops into the lower back, under the kidneys or on either side of the base of the skull, at the occiput (these are the main acupuncture anti-hot-swap points). You can also keep a small spray bottle of peppermint hydrosol in your bag or on your bedside table, to be sprayed on your face when you feel the heat rising. The immediate cooling effect is pleasant and soothes any discomfort.

What does phytotherapy have to say?

The menopause is an important transition period in female physiology (and psychology), due to changes in hormonal balance and the resulting disorders, including hot flushes, which affect more than half of all women, to varying degrees of disablement. Phytotherapy is an effective alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Clary sage is the woman’s plant par excellence. Its essential oil contains linalool and linalyl acetate, as well as sclareol, which has estrogenic activity. It is internally antispasmodic, externally healing and “estrogen-like”. In addition to menopause, it is indicated for all cycle disorders. However, this gentle, beneficial essential oil is not recommended for women suffering from or having suffered from breast cancer or any other hormone-dependent cancer.

Did you know?

Hot flashes are one of the symptoms of menopause. The hormonal upheaval of this transitional period also affects the limbic system, the center of emotions, and the autonomic nervous system, leading to sleep disorders, fatigue, nervousness, anxiety and weight problems

I use hydrosols SAFELY

There are no particular contraindications to the use of sage hydrosol, as it’s a perfectly standard practice. On the other hand, clary sage essential oil should not be used by any woman who has suffered from or is suffering from hormone-dependent cancer (or if there has been any in the immediate past).

SALVIA SCLAREA Clary sage

Clary sage is a hardy perennial with a musky fragrance. Its pale blue flower spikes, its size (up to 1.50 m in cultivation) and its large gray-green leaves covered with a downy layer containing the essential oil make it one of the most remarkable of all sage plants. It contains sclareol, a sesquiterpene alcohol reputed to have an estrogen-like effect. For this reason, aromatologists recommend this essential oil for premenopause, to remedy falling estrogen levels and ease the transition.