Hops for Hot Flashes

A Little Green Flower with Hot Flash Relief Power

Everyone knows what a hot flash is. Or do we?

While hot flashes are possibly the one thing that the general public knows about menopause, there’s a lot more than the greeting card clichés. Yes, hot flashes and their overnight counterpart, night sweats, can drench us in heat from within. But you might be surprised by other ways that hot flashes manifest, including:

• A rush of anxiety
• Head or chest pressure
• Nausea
• Difficulty focusing
• Rapid heartbeat

If some of those hot flash “symptoms” sound familiar, we have good news. On top of methods for eliminating hot flash triggers, herbal medicine can give most women hot flash relief. That’s why we included hops flower extract in our Wile Hot Flash supplement. 

Hops flowers contain phytoestrogens that help with hormonal balance and are clinically proven to reduce hot flashes. Because we have better things to do than to have our days interrupted by a sudden rush of heat (or anxiety, pressure, nausea or palpitations).

Why We Love Hops 

• If you still need convincing that hormonal balance for women over 40 is vital, maybe vaginal dryness as an effect of shifting hormones can convince you. Thankfully, the phytoestrogens in hops can reduce vaginal dryness, which makes sex, exercise and even tampon use better. 
• There’s an ever-increasing mountain of research backing up the traditional knowledge that hops can provide hot flash relief. We love when western science catches up to ancient and indigenous science. 

Key Benefits: 

Reduces Hot Flashes - Multiple clinical trials have found that hops reduces hot flashes better than placebo treatments. Whether you experience hot flashes as a classic rush of heat, a surge of anxiety, the rolling clouds of brain fog or other symptoms, hops can give you hot flash relief. Find it in our Hot Flash daily supplement!

Hormone Balance - So why is hops so good at reducing hot flashes? It comes down to our friends, the phytoestrogens. Hops contains a super powerful phytoestrogen called 8-pn. It’s super effective at reacting with your body’s estrogen receptors, which helps with all over hormonal balance for women over 40. 

Promotes Bone Health - Another concern that many grown women face is diminished bone heath. Many doctors prescribe estradiol to prevent osteoporosis, but unfortunately the effective dose is correlated with higher rates of endometrial cancer. Hops essence avoids the freaky side effects and is an effective way to bolster bone health. In fact, animal studies found that hops essence may completely eliminate bone loss. 

Traditional Uses:

You may have enjoyed hops as a flavoring in your favorite pint of beer. There’s archaeological evidence that hops flowers have been imbuing brews with a bitter, floral flavor as early as ancient Rome.

Medicinal hops use also goes far back in history. Middle Eastern physicians have long used hops for:

• Fever reduction
• Emotional and physical relaxation
• Inflammation
• Purifying blood

In North America, the Cherokee, Delaware, Diné and Fox tribes have used hops for:

• Menstrual health
• Kidney support
• Ear and toothache
• Coughs
• Colds
• Digestion

Ayurvedic uses for hops include:

• Headache treatment
• A mild sedative
• Indigestion treatment
• An antibacterial agent

About the Hops Plant: 

When people talk about hops they’re usually just referring to the flowers, which resemble little green pine cones. Hops flowers grow on a climbing, vine-like plant with serrated leaves. 

Hops is native to Europe, North America and Western Asia.

The hops plant is part of the hemp family, and like hemp has strong fibers that make great rope. 

Found In (Wile Products)

• Hot Flash Supplement

Things to Know about Hops:

We love hops for its balance of potency and safety, but it may not be for everyone. 

Talk to your doctor before taking hops if you have an estrogen-sensitive condition, take sedatives or use medications broken down in the liver. 

There’s not a lot of information about whether hops is safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it’s generally not recommended. 

Clinical Research

• Aghamiri, Vida, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Sakineh Mohammad-Alizadeh Charandabi, and Hossein Nazemiyeh. “The Effect of Hop ( Humulus Lupulus L. ) on Early Menopausal Symptoms and Hot Flashes: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 23 (May 1, 2016): 130–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.05.001. 
• Abdi, Fatemeh, Hamid Mobedi, and Nasibeh Roozbeh. “Hops for Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms: Mechanisms of Action.” Journal of Menopausal Medicine 22, no. 2 (August 1, 2016): 62. https://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.2016.22.2.62. 
• De Klein, Miriam JJ, Yvonne T Van Der Schouw, Peter WF Wilson, Deiderick E Grobbee, and Paul F Jacques. “Dietary Intake of Phytoestrogens Is Associated with a Favorable Metabolic Cardiovascular Risk Profile in Postmenopausal U.S.Women: The Framingham Study.” The Journal of Nutrition 132, no. 2 (February 2002): 276–82. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/132.2.276. 
• Erkkola, Risto, Stefaan Vervarcke, Stijn Vansteelandt, P. Rompotti, Denis De Keukeleire, and Arne Heyerick. “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-over Pilot Study on the Use of a Standardized Hop Extract to Alleviate Menopausal Discomforts.” Phytomedicine 17, no. 6 (May 1, 2010): 389–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2010.01.007. 
• Hümpel, M., Päivi Isaksson, Olaf Schaefer, Ulrike Kaufmann, Paolo Ciana, Adriana Maggi, and Wolf-Dieter Schleuning. “Tissue Specificity of 8-Prenylnaringenin: Protection from Ovariectomy Induced Bone Loss with Minimal Trophic Effects on the Uterus.” The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 97, no. 3 (November 1, 2005): 299–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2005.05.009. 
• Korpelainen, Helena, and Maria Pietiläinen. “Hop (Humulus Lupulus L.): Traditional and Present Use, and Future Potential.” Economic Botany 75, no. 3–4 (September 24, 2021): 302–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-021-09528-1. 
• Pohjanvirta, Raimo, and Atefeh Nasri. “The Potent Phytoestrogen 8-Prenylnaringenin: A Friend or a Foe?” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 6 (March 15, 2022): 3168. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23063168. 
• Van Breemen, Richard B., Luying Chen, Alyssa Tonsing-Carter, Suzanne Banuvar, Elena Barengolts, Marlos a. G. Viana, Shao-Nong Chen, Guido F. Pauli, and Judy L. Bolton. “Pharmacokinetic Interactions of a Hop Dietary Supplement with Drug Metabolism in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 68, no. 18 (April 14, 2020): 5212–20. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c01077. 

Sources

• Bokelmann, Jean Marie. Medicinal Herbs in Primary Care: An Evidence-Guided Reference for Healthcare Providers. Maarssen, Netherlands: Elsevier Gezondheidszorg, 2021.
• “Hops (Humulus Lupulus): A Review of Its Historic and Medicinal Uses    - American Botanical Council,” n.d. https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/87/table-of-contents/article3559/. 
• “Hops: MedlinePlus Supplements,” n.d. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/856.html#:~:text=Sedative%20medications%20(CNS%20depressants),and%2For%20too%20much%20sleepiness. 
• Hudson, Tori, ND. “The Effect of Hops on Hot Flashes and Menopause Symptoms «  Dr. Tori Hudson, N.D.,” n.d. https://drtorihudson.com/menopause/the-effect-of-hops-on-hot-flashes-and-menopause-symptoms/. 
• Lenard, Lane, PhD. “Relieving Menopausal Symptoms Naturally,” January 1, 2021. https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2009/2/relieving-menopausal-symptoms-naturally. 
• Weil, Andrew. “Hops For Hot Flashes | Weekly Bulletin | Andrew Weil, M.D.” DrWeil.com, August 10, 2021. https://www.drweil.com/blog/bulletins/hops-for-hot-flashes/#:~:text=Flowers%20from%20hops%20plants%20give,dryness%20and%20other%20menopausal%20symptoms. 

Image courtesy of Markus Spiske via Unsplash