By Tori Hudson, ND

A: Fortunately, you’ve got several good botanical options. Among the best researched are black cohosh extract, red clover extract, and soy isoflavones. I suggest experimenting to find out which one works best for you.

For black cohosh, make sure the label says it contains a standardized extract and take 40 to 80 milligrams a day; symptoms should improve or go away within two to four weeks. For red clover, also use a standardized extract and take 40 mg twice a day. Take soy isoflavones in amounts of 50 to 150 mg a day—you can get it from capsules, protein powder, or soy food.

Another possible treatment is natural progesterone cream. In one early clinical trial, 83 percent of the women using a cream that contained 20 mg of progesterone per one-quarter teaspoon saw their hot flashes improve or completely disappear. Unfortunately, the most recent study conducted at the Menopause Centre of the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia, did not show a significant effect. Still, you may want to try it for yourself—it seems to work for many of my patients.