Researchers said that a pill containing rhubarb extract could minimize the severity of hot flashes in perimenopausal women.

Researchers studied 109 perimenopausal women to determine the usefulness of rhubarb extracts. They gave half the women 4 milligrams of the extract, while the other half took a placebo for 12 weeks. The group, which took the rhubarb extract pill, had less severe hot flashes than the placebo group, researchers revealed.

Perimenopause is the period before menopause when irregular periods are common. It is during this period that 80 percent of menopausal women in Western countries experience hot flashes, which can be debilitating in some cases.