If you suffer from hot flashes or night sweats (whether they are caused by menopause or not), sage may be your answer.

Here’s the story. About a decade or so ago I had my first bout with hot flashes. I changed my dietary habits and they went away. From time to time when I went down the wrong dietary road for too long they’d show up again as a reminder to clean up my act.

Fast Forward Several Years

For several years I was pretty much symptom-free. No hot flashes and no night sweats. Then, right around my birthday this year, the hot flashes made a reappearance. I was confused because I had been eating a healthy diet.

Not wanting to accept hot flashes and night sweats as a way of life, I realized I had to ramp up my efforts. A healthy diet and exercise alone weren’t enough. I wasn’t quite ready to convert to a 100% raw diet (I hear women who go raw don’t suffer such symptoms), but I had to do something.

Sage to the Rescue

In my research, I found studies that claimed sage to be effective in combating hot flashes and night sweats. It not only helps menopausal women, but it also works for folks who are undergoing a detox program.

During my research, I learned a new word, anhidrotic. It means a substance that prevents, diminishes or stops sweat. Sage has anhidrotic properties and thus works on reducing and stopping night sweats.

Putting Sage to the Test

I immediately ran to the local health store and purchased a box of sage tea. I had my first cup of tea on August 4th. Since then I made sure to drink a cup of tea in the morning and one before I go to bed. As with all natural remedies, it takes a little time to take effect so I was fully prepared to endure the hot flashes for a few more weeks.

Imagine my surprise when yesterday (1 week since starting with the tea) I came to the delightful realization that I only had one or maybe two hot flashes all day. To top it off, the usual night sweats have diminished and nightly hot flushes have decreased in intensity. They’re not totally gone, but they’ve been dialed back several notches to the point where they are tolerable.

With such marked improvements only one week after drinking sage tea, I’m anxious to see what week two brings. At this point, I’m feeling “normal” again.  I think it’s time for me to plant sage in my herb garden.