Complementary Therapies for Menopause: The Strongest Evidence Isn't Where Most People Look

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:30:00 +0700

Black cohosh and red clover still get most of the attention when people talk about “natural” menopause relief. They’re easy to understand, easy to buy, and honestly, much easier to market than a course of cognitive behavioral therapy or a trained hypnosis session.

But that’s exactly where the evidence gets interesting.

A 2024 review in Nursing Clinics of North America keeps complementary and alternative medicine for menopause in the conversation, especially popular botanicals such as black cohosh and red clover. It doesn’t crown a miracle herb, though. The review says efficacy and safety are still controversial, and that more research is needed (Nursing Clinics of North America review).

The sharper practical takeaway comes from the 2023 North American Menopause Society position statement on nonhormone therapy. For vasomotor symptoms - the clinical term for hot flashes and night sweats - it recommends cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical hypnosis. It does not recommend supplements, herbal remedies, soy/equol, yoga, mindfulness-based interventions, or acupuncture for hot flashes based on the evidence it reviewed (The Menopause Society position statement).

So the surprise is not that every complementary therapy is useless. It’s that the better-supported options aren’t the ones sitting on the supplement shelf.

Menopause on Alternative Medicine Zone

Complementary Therapies for Menopause: The Strongest Evidence Isn't Where Most People Look