Before I recovered my health, I experienced hot flashes and night sweats. I was 30 years old and not willing to believe this could be explained away with terms like “perimenopause” that some say could begin in your 30’s. One day after a meeting, I was talking to a colleague and felt a river of sweat falling down my back. I wondered if anyone noticed and thanked God I was wearing a blazer.
I tried cold water on my wrists and then one day, I realized I could go outside in the winter and put snow on my wrists. As I walked out, past the people taking cigarette breaks, to scoop up the snow, I said to myself, “enough.” This was one of too many symptoms that were adversely impacting my health and well-being.
As I began to make changes in my diet and lifestyle, I tried two things to see if I could make an immediate impact on the hot flashes and night sweats:
- I made sure to have no animal protein meals after 2:00 pm. My entire digestive system was taxed, particularly my pancreas. Avoiding animal protein after 2:00 pm can support your digestive system because it has more power before 2:00 pm and the animal protein can go all the way through your system before bedtime. This one easy fix made a HUGE difference and got rid of the night sweats. Today, I can eat animal protein at night and my digestive system is strong enough to handle it, but I find that I still often have a vegetarian meal at night instead.
- Chrysanthemum Tea – I began drinking a cup or two of chrysanthemum tea during the day. Chrysanthemums are edible flowers that have been prized for their medicinal benefits. The taste is similar to chamomile tea, very mild and gentle.
Benefits of Chrysanthemum Tea
- Cooling
- Anti-inflammatory
- Beneficial for the liver/detox
- Aids in eye health (anyone with dry eyes? Cataracts?)
- Relieves fever and sore throat
- Aids circulation
- Has been used successfully for heart health
- Helps relieve insomnia
- Beneficial for the skin and can relieve rashes
- Acts as a blood purifier
- High in B vitamins (like folate and choline)
- Rich in antioxidants, fatty acids, and flavinoids
- Can lower blood pressure
- Helps create a calm feeling
**Reasons to avoid chrysanthemum tea: If you have diabetes and are taking insulin, suffer from low blood pressure, are on certain medications (like blood pressure, cancer medications, anti-inflammatories or antibacterials), or if you are allergic to dandelions, sunflowers, ragweed or daisies.
How to Make Chrysanthemum Tea
- Boil water and pour into a teapot (or a cup)
- Add dried chrysanthemum flowers to the teapot or cup (use 3-6 dried flowers per cup of water)
- Allow to steep for 3 – 5 minutes
- Add honey or stevia to taste, if desired
Finding Chrysanthemums
If you grow your own, you can dry them or use a food dehydrator to dry them. Choose flowers that are wild-crafted or organic (not sprayed with chemicals).
You can find dried chrysanthemum flower tea at MountainRoseHerbs.com, some Asian grocery stores and some health food stores.
Within a few weeks of eating a better diet and making these two changes, I never had a hot flash or night sweats again and it’s been 17 years! I continue to be amazed at the body’s ability to heal — and grateful to Mother Earth for providing the tools!
Chrysanthemum tea can also be a wonderful remedy if you feel overheated this summer! Put a pot in the refrigerator to cool if off if you want a cool drink.
Anyone out there with hot flashes, peri-menopause, or menopause symptoms with questions? Have you tried chrysanthemum tea or another remedy that worked for you?
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