Cooling the Inner Fire: Herbal Iced Teas for Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are probably the most talked-about part of menopause — and for good reason. They’re uncomfortable, and they show up uninvited. They come knocking at the worst times: during a meeting, dinner with a friend, or right in the middle of the night.

Menopause and hot flashes often go together, but the whole experience is complex. Menopause is a big life shift, and it affects every part of our body — from mood and memory to metabolism and sleep. Many people deal with some form of hot flash symptoms along the way.

The good news? You don’t have to suffer through them alone. If we understand why these changes are happening, we can try to prepare for them and respond with care. There are ways to manage hot flashes naturally, and herbal iced teas are a great place to start.

The Many Faces of a Hot Flash

Hot flashes can show up in wildly different ways from person to person — so much so that many wonder if what they’re feeling is “normal.”

They can start up to 10 years before menopause and can linger long after — even into your 60s or 70s. Every body has its own rhythm.

Some folks sweat constantly. Others don’t sweat at all but feel a strange, prickly heat. Some feel sudden waves of heat but still have the chills. You might feel like your blood sugar just dropped, or like heat is spreading through your chest, neck, or face. You might get flushed, lightheaded, shaky, irritable — even nauseous.

Some people only have night sweats. Others only have daytime hot flashes. Some get both.

A hot flash can start with an anxiety rush or bring on a sudden wave of dread out of nowhere.

Here’s how hot flashes have been described:

“Sort of like a whoosh.”

“Uncontrolled sweating from every pore.”

“Like a panic attack.”

“An electrical jolt.”

“Radiating heat.”

“Hot, then cold, then hot again.”

“Only sweat on my feet.”

“Only sweat on my arms.”

For some, hot flashes last just a few minutes. For others, they roll on for hours. And yes — some folks don’t get them at all. That’s normal, too.

For some people, things like cutting caffeine or lifting weights help. For others, those same things can make hot flashes worse. Just another reminder: this isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey.

What we do know is this — there’s no gold standard for how a hot flash is “supposed” to feel.

And if you’re dealing with them, you’re not alone in feeling confused, uncomfortable, and totally over it.

Just because your experience looks different doesn’t mean it’s wrong — or any less real.

So what’s happening beneath the surface? Hormone changes during menopause can shed some light on why hot flashes show up.

What’s Really Going On During a Hot Flash?

Let’s zoom in and look at why hot flashes happen in the first place. No matter how it looks on the outside, there’s a reason behind it — your hormones are going through big changes.

Over the years, your hormones have moved in a balanced cycle — estrogen and progesterone rising and falling in a steady flow. Estrogen helps cool you down by opening up blood vessels. Progesterone warms you up by tightening blood vessels. Together, they help keep your internal thermostat steady.

But as you move through perimenopause and into menopause, the hormonal balance starts to change. Ovulation happens less often, which means less progesterone in circulation. At the same time, estrogen starts to swing wildly. Estrogen rises sometimes reaching record highs, drops dramatically, and eventually tapers off.

All those ups and downs confuse your body’s thermostat in the brain (the hypothalamus). The hypothalamus has a harder time keeping you at a comfortable temperature. That’s why you might suddenly feel flushed, sweaty, or like heat is rolling through you out of nowhere.

It’s not just in your head — it’s in your hormones. And while this is a normal part of the transition, it doesn’t mean you have to just deal with it without support.

Hormone	What It Does in Your Cycle	How It Affects Body Temp	What Changes in Menopause
Estrogen (E2)	Rises in first half, peaks mid-cycle	Cools you down, opens blood vessels	Spikes and crashes, then drops off
Progesterone (P)	Rises in second half	Warms you up, narrows blood vessels	Drops early, often missing
E2 + P Balance	Keeps your cycle steady and regular	Stable internal thermostat	Imbalance → hot flash symptoms

Herbal Iced Teas: A Natural Way to Cool Down

When we know what’s happening inside, we can target our tools better. You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through hot flashes.

Herbs can help — especially when served cold.

Herbal teas are a great support for hot flashes — gentle, effective, and refreshing.

Body Temp & Hot Flashes: Herbal Actions

Phytoestrogens  Mimic the effects of estrogen in the body and can help buffer rapid drops in E2 → Red clover, black cohosh, alfalfa

Hormone modulators  Help soften the extremes of hormonal change → Shatavari, ashwagandha

Relaxing nervines  Calm the nervous system and relieve tension that may accompany a hot flash → Skullcap, milky oats, passionflower, hawthorn leaf and flower, linden

Vasodilators  Support heat release through the skin → Elderflower, yarrow

Liver-supportive herbs  Help clear hormone metabolites and support healthy detox pathways → Dandelion root, burdock root, milk thistle

Cooling herbs  Traditionally used to reduce internal heat → Rose, rosehips, peppermint, linden, peach leaf, lemon balm

Polyphenol-rich herbs  Support blood vessel tone and function — key in temperature regulation → Hibiscus, sage, holy basil, cinnamon, hawthorn berries

Let’s Take a Look at 2 Herbal Studies:

1. Sage for Hot Flashes

In one study, post-menopausal women who were having at least 5 hot flashes a day took fresh sage leaves daily for 8 weeks. By the end, many of them had fewer and less intense hot flashes. Since this study didn’t include a control group (a group that didn’t take sage), we can’t say for sure how strong the effect was — but it does suggest sage might be helpful and well-tolerated as a natural remedy for hot flashes (Bommer et al., 2011).

2. Polyphenols and Blood Vessel Health

Our cardiovascular system plays a big role in how we manage body temperature. A review article looked at how polyphenol-rich herbs and foods support blood vessel function. These polyphenols help relax blood vessels, which can affect how heat moves through the body. Most of the research so far is in animals, but it gives us a strong starting point for understanding how polyphenols may help overall by supporting vascular health (Stoclet et al., 2004). Holy Basil is one of my favorite teas and is rich in polyphenols. 

Steep & Chill: Herbal Iced Tea for Hot Flashes

Sage leaf (Salvia officinalis) - 2 g

Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) - 2 g

Drink 8 oz up to 4 times per day.

Herbal Sun Tea Prep Instructions:

1. Add 8 g each Sage and Holy Basil to a quart-sized mason jar

2. Pour 32 oz room temperature filtered water over the herbs

3. Cover and place in a sunny window or outside for 3–4 hours

4. Strain and refrigerate

5. Serve over ice 

   1. Add a few slices of citrus for extra cooling and flavor (lemon, lime, orange)

   2. Add 1–2 drops of trace mineral drops per 8 oz cup to replenish electrolytes from sweating

Custom Remedies for Hot Flashes

Herbal remedies for menopause work with your body. They support the areas that feel the shift the most. From your heart and blood vessels, your nerves, your liver, and your hormones.

Schedule a free strategy call with Andie for a customized herbal formula!

Bonus Tools to Release the Heat

Release-the-Heat Breathing Exercise

As a hot flash begins, inhale through your nose. Make a small "O" with your mouth and exhale slowly, pushing the air through your lips — like you’re blowing through a straw. Let your exhales be longer than your inhales. Sip your iced tea as you breathe.

On-the-Go Cooling Spray

Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a small bottle of witch hazel. Shake, mist, and store in the fridge or keep in your bag to stay cool throughout the day.

REFERENCES

Baker, F. C., Siboza, F., & Fuller, A. (2020). Temperature regulation in women: Effects of the menstrual cycle. Temperature (Austin, Tex.), 7(3), 226–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2020.1735927

Bommer, S., Klein, P., & Suter, A. (2011). First time proof of sage's tolerability and efficacy in menopausal women with hot flushes. Advances in therapy, 28(6), 490–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-011-0027-z

Gombert-Labedens, M., Vesterdorf, K., Fuller, A., Maloney, S. K., & Baker, F. C. (2025). Effects of menopause on temperature regulation. Temperature (Austin, Tex.), 12(2), 92–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2025.2484499

Hoffman, D. (1989). Medical herbalism. Portland, OR: Botanical Medicine Institute.

Smeaton, J. & Campbell, P. (2025). Perimenopause Management. Dutch Test Library. https://education.dutchtest.com/login

Stansbury, J. (2018b). Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals: Endocrinology (Vol. 3). White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Stoclet, J. C., Chataigneau, T., Ndiaye, M., Oak, M. H., El Bedoui, J., Chataigneau, M., & Schini-Kerth, V. B. (2004). Vascular protection by dietary polyphenols. European journal of pharmacology, 500(1-3), 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.07.034

Zhang, Z., DiVittorio, J. R., Joseph, A. M., & Correa, S. M. (2021). The Effects of Estrogens on Neural Circuits That Control Temperature. Endocrinology, 162(8), bqab087. https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqab087