BackgroundAcute menopausal syndrome especially hot flashes, is one of the most common gynecological problems during menopause. Due to the side effects of hormone therapy, herbal and complementary medicines are always of immense interest to people in the treatment and management of the symptoms and complications of menopause.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms and effects of medicinal plants employed in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.MethodsThis review article was carried out by examining clinical trial studies between the period of 1994 and 2016. The keywords, which include menopause, climacteric, hot flushes, flashes, herb and phytoestrogens were used to search for herbal medicines used in clinical trials for the treatment of menopausal symptoms using databases such as PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Google scholar, SID and Magiran.ResultsThe results of the study showed that the medicinal plants, which include Sage herb (Salvia officinalis), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Valerina officinalis, Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Black cumin (Nigella sativa), Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), Ginkgo biloba, Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Hypericum perforatum, Panax ginseng, Pimpinella anisum, Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Passiflora incarnata, Red clover (Trifolium pratense), and Glycine soja were effective in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome with different mechanisms.ConclusionMedicinal plants can play an imperative role in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome; however, further studies are required to buttress their efficacy in the treatment of acute menopausal syndrome.

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Background: Menopause is a biopsychosocial phenomenon in a woman’s life, and it occurs at about the age of 48-55 years. Factors such as smoking, the number of children, early puberty, and social class can cause early natural menopause. Symptoms that occur during menopause include headache, mood disorders, insomnia, distraction, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and sweating. The most common symptom is hot flashes, which affect 85% of women with menopause. Recently, people are showing more tendencies toward alternative therapies and herbs phytoestrogens. Objective: This review aims to introduce the mechanism of herbal phytoestrogens controlling hot flashes during menopause. Methods: Our searches were performed in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane. English clinical trials, that investigated the effects of phytoestrogen plants individually or in combination on the treatment of hot flashes in menopause were analyzed. After reviewing articles and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 articles were selected. Results: In this study, 18 clinical trials of 2351 female patients were analyzed. The phytoestrogen plants studied include soy, red clover, cohosh, hops, flax, pomegranate, anise, and Vitex Agnus. Conclusion: Studies have shown the beneficial effects of phytoestrogens in controlling hot flashes, but in some cases, including soybeans, there are contradictory effects. Therefore, more clinical trials are needed to achieve reliable results to confirm the phytoestrogen effects of herbal medicines.