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9 Herbs You Need To Try For Hormone Balance
We want to touch on some great herbs for hormonal balance. That’s because hormonal conditions are not only very challenging, they are also very common. If you struggle with them, you’ll know that they are often complex and super frustrating.
🌿Related: We use some of these herbs in our Hormone Balance
Very few women in their lives escape hormonal imbalances, with 50-80% experiencing premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and between 30-40% of women reporting PMS symptoms which require treatment. That is a lot of people that need help with their hormones!
Unsurprisingly, hormonal conditions have a massive impact on your quality of life. Hormonal imbalances can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, aggression, as well as symptoms like fatigue and pain. Also it is important to note that most of the medical testing and studies have been done on males so the complexity of female hormones is still somewhat of a mystery.
There is a lot to consider when looking at hormones and this blog is for education purposes, if you are experiencing chronic hormonal concerns consider seeing a medical practitioner who can help you through the whole process. If you are looking for a natural way to approach your hormonal imbalances these are some great herbs to help!
1. Vitex
Vitex agnus-castus (Vitex) is one of the most recommended and popular herbs for hormonal conditions. Vitex is the genus name that refers to a broad range of species, but you might know Vitex agnus-castus for its common name, chaste tree or chasteberry. While the bark and the flowers are used in herbal medicine, the berries are most commonly utilised for medicinal purposes.
Vitex has been used traditionally for years to help with PMS, infertility, breast pain, irregular periods, missing periods, mood swings, oestrogen excess as well as low mood. Vitex supports an increase in dopamine which helps support better mood and motivation. It also supports healthy ovulation and oestrogen to progesterone ratio.
2. Chamomile
This is one of our most favourite herbs (we use organic chamomile in our Rest and Calm). Chamomile is one we often associate with nervous system support, as it helps to calm your nervous and digestive systems down. But chamomile can also help support and reduce premenstrual breast pain, which can result from hormonal imbalances.
One study showed that people who took chamomile daily over two cycles reduced their reported pain levels significantly. Chamomile is a well-tolerated plant with minimal to no side effects, so it is a great herb for hormone balance.
One study showed that people who took chamomile daily over two cycles reduced their reported pain levels significantly. Chamomile is a well-tolerated plant with minimal to no side effects, so it is a great herb for hormone balance.
3. Turmeric
Turmeric is well known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties. The active constituent within turmeric is curcumin which can be very helpful for hormonal conditions, in particular for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Curcumin can also help with the blood sugar imbalances that can arise from PCOS as well as helping to reduce inflammatory markers that can occur in chronic conditions.
Curcumin also helps support the liver, which is a very important focus for those with hormonal imbalances. If you want to try using turmeric to help, you could try adding more fresh turmeric into your diet, like this recipe for a turmeric paste to flavour your meals, or you could try a turmeric tonic. Our Anti-Flam is the perfect way to utilise the benefits of this herb for hormone balance.
4. Globe Artichoke
Building on turmeric’s support for the liver, globe also helps the liver and also the liver detoxification pathways - but in a more direct way. The leaves of the globe artichoke are incredibly bitter. The bitter taste activates the bitter taste receptors you have throughout your body, in particular throughout the digestive system. Globe is another of the organic herbs we use in our products (our Liver Bitters).
But how is this relevant to hormones, and why is globe artichoke a good herb for hormone balance? Well, when you have more oestrogen circulating in your body (which can happen from taking the oral contraceptive pill, BPAs in cooking instruments or containers, from skincare - to name a few), you need to detoxify that out of your body efficiently so it won’t build up.
But most people find this quite hard as the liver and digestive systems can often be under pressure and not performing their best, so people end up recycling the circulating oestrogen back into their bodies, and it starts to build up.
The best way to help support elimination is to ensure regular bowel motions. And to do that, you need fibre and bitters. So, that is why globe is an amazing hormonal herb!
5. Paeony
Paeony is a very popular traditional Chinese herb. Traditionally it is the bark that is used as a tincture. Paeony is often combined with other plants to support hormones (often, you find it paired with vitex).
Paeoniflorin is one of the active constituents in paeony. It is anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and has sedative properties. In vitro experiments have also shown that it can affect ovarian follicles through its action on the enzyme called aromatase. This enzyme is found widely throughout the body, especially in ovaries, liver and fatty tissues.
Paeony works on normalising aromatase activity as well as reducing androgen production. Excessive androgens can present as extra hair on the face and body, cystic acne, and female baldness (predominantly PCOS symptoms and also after menopause).
6. Sage
Sage is one of the first plants recommended for people starting to notice changes in their temperature, i.e. hot flashes and night sweats (the most common symptom of perimenopause and menopause). Reducing the temperature fluctuations that occur during these hormonal changes can help support a more restful and consistent sleep - therefore allowing you to feel more rested. Sage can also support the nervous system, in particular nervous exhaustion, which makes life incredibly hard for those suffering from hormonal imbalances.
We use sage, motherwort, red clover and yarrow in our Hormone Balance. This daily formula can help with the symptoms of both PMS and perimenopause.
7. Motherwort
Hormonal symptoms are often quite physical, e.g. hot flushes and night sweats, but a large part of perimenopause and PMS is the effect it has on your nervous system. This can produce some very uncomfortable and, at times, debilitating symptoms, so supporting your hormones and nervous system can really help to reduce these symptoms.
Motherwort is a nervine that supports the cardiovascular system, in particular by reducing heart palpitations that are associated with anxiety, worry and insomnia. It has a gentle effect that builds over time, making this a beautiful and highly effective herb for hormone balance.
Motherwort can also support reducing feelings of anxiety and worry as well as working as an antispasmodic to relax smooth muscles. It promotes feelings of relaxation and also helps support the uterus, reducing cramping and pain, which can be a common PMS and perimenopausal symptom.
Motherwort can also support reducing feelings of anxiety and worry as well as working as an antispasmodic to relax smooth muscles. It promotes feelings of relaxation and also helps support the uterus, reducing cramping and pain, which can be a common PMS and perimenopausal symptom.
8. Red clover
Red clover contains isoflavones which are plant-based chemicals that produce an oestrogen-like effect in the body. As it is not a synthetic hormone, it is a gentler way of helping with hormonal issues - as it has a ‘normalising effect’. Studies have proven how effective this herb for hormone balance can be. It has been used in clinical double-blind trials to reduce menopausal symptoms, particularly around anxiety and low mood. Red clover is also used to support PMS as it has been found to help nervous system issues such as anxiety and low mood, as well as supplying extra antioxidant support to help reduce free radical damage that can occur from internal and external stress.
9. Yarrow
A common issue with hormonal imbalance is heavy or irregular bleeding. Yarrow has been traditionally used to help with bleeding due to its high tannin content, which gives it astringent (drying) properties. If you suffer from painful and clotty menstrual periods - yarrow is a good herb for hormone balance because it can help reduce these symptoms by working on supporting liver detoxification and supporting blood flow.
Yarrow is a bitter plant which helps to support the liver. The liver is normally working pretty hard to support your body, but with hormones that are out of balance, it has to work even harder. By increasing bitter food consumption or taking bitter plants, you can help support your liver detoxification pathways.
Yarrow is a bitter plant which helps to support the liver. The liver is normally working pretty hard to support your body, but with hormones that are out of balance, it has to work even harder. By increasing bitter food consumption or taking bitter plants, you can help support your liver detoxification pathways.
Yarrow can also help with the physical symptoms as it can reduce uterine muscle spasms and work as an anti-inflammatory which can bring comfort to those suffering from menstrual cramping.
🌿🌿🌿
It can be quite hard starting to balance hormones, you can always start slow and see if you notice any difference in your cycles. There are great apps you can download that can help track your period, pain and also any other symptoms you experience, this would be a great thing to incorporate when you start a new herb or regime to see if it is helping with your hormones.
References
Mohammadi, S., Karimzadeh Bardei, L., Hojati, V., Ghorbani, A. G., & Nabiuni, M. (2017). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin on Insulin Resistance Index, Levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Liver Histology in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Induced Rats. Cell journal, 19(3), 425–433. https://doi.org/10.22074/cellj.2017.4415
Saghafi N, Rhkhshandeh H, Pourmoghadam N, Pourali L, Ghazanfarpour M, Behrooznia A, Vafisani F. Effectiveness of Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) extract on pain control of cyclic mastalgia: a double-blind randomised controlled trial. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2018 Jan;38(1):81-84. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2017.1322045. Epub 2017 Oct 26. PMID: 29072514.
Trickey, Ruth. (2011). Women, hormones & the menstrual cycle. Fairfield, Vic : Melbourne Holistic Health Group
Rafieian-Kopaei M, Movahedi M. Systematic Review of Premenstrual, Postmenstrual and Infertility Disorders of Vitex Agnus Castus. Electron Physician. 2017;9(1):3685-3689. Published 2017 Jan 25. doi:10.19082/3685
