Herbal Medicine for Hormonal imbalance

Hormonal imbalances have to be one of the most challenging health issues to work through, as women it’s likely we’ll deal with at least one hormonal imbalance/ condition in our lifetime.

While it’s common that a lot of women go on the pill to mask their hormonal symptoms it’s important to know this very rarely if ever resolves the imbalance.

You don’t have to simply sit and wait either, signs and symptoms are your body’s way of communicating with you that somethings not right. If you’re tired of being told that synthetic hormones are the only way or to simply sit and watch, then you may wish to seek the support of a herbalist or naturopath.

Most herbalists will look at the lifestyle, hereditary and dietary factors that may be contributing to your issues, helping to remove some of the causes can be a great starting point for long term health and healing.

How long will it take to balance my hormones?

I get asked this question often. I wish there was a straight forward answer. It really depends on how severe the current imbalance is and how long you’ve had it.

Two of the major communication systems in your body is your nervous system and your hormonal system. Both are responsible for sending signals and communicating with different parts of the body, however each system does it differently.

Electrical impulses your nerves send are quick, you tend to see impacts and changes in this system fairly soon after implementing changes. For example diaphragmatic breathing exercises quickly shift your nervous system.

Your hormonal system on the other hand is a fair bit slower, it can take weeks or months to see shifts and changes in this part of your body and when you experience an imbalance or issue in this system it’s likely that it started months or years before you even received a diagnosis.

As you’ll see further down in this article the research shows that herbs for hormonal issues generally take 4-8 weeks to see measurable changes. Working with a herbalist is not a quick fix, it will take some time and effort, while you can start taking your herbal formula straight after your first appointment if you’re dealing with a chronic condition like PCOS for example you may be taking your herbs for 6 months or longer. Along with making lifestyle/dietary changes to minimise the causative factors.

This is why I often schedule appointments at 4 week intervals so we can check in and make any necessary changes to your herbal formula as we go.

Why over the counter herbal tablets don’t always work for chronic hormonal issues?

So you’ve taken a heap of herbal tablets that you’ve seen recommended by Dr Google and they haven’t really changed anything for you? I’m often sent emails from my clients asking about the latest and greatest products they’ve seen online.

Let’s take PCOS as an example, no two people experience PCOS in the same way, some women have the insulin resistance and weight gain, others don’t.

Some have the elevated androgens, facial hair growth and acne, and others don’t. Some have infertility and irregular cycles and others don’t.

No two bodies are the same, even if they are struggling with the same hormonal condition, it doesn’t mean they’ll suffer it the same way. Also the underlying causes may be different.

If I see five PCOS clients a week none of them will walk out with the same herbal prescription. Beyond this herbalists prescribe plant based medicines in different ways, depending on the individual and desired effect…

When you see a herbalist chances are they will give you a number of different herbal prescriptions, including a custom blend or extract, herbal tablets and maybe even a tea. Let’s say you’re struggling with a topical issue then creams, ointments and the likes can also be given.

Don’t give up on your reproductive health

Your body is constantly working to heal itself and come back into balance. There is a lot you can do to help your body along. Herbal medicines have been used for thousands of years and over the last hundred years we’ve seen lots of research done on the efficacy of herbal medicine.

But before we jump in it’s worth mentioning that environmental hormonal disruptors are leading to chronic health issues and infertility, this is something you can start changing right now, head across to this post to find out more.

In fact herbal medicine is one of the best tools I have as a naturopath to support my clients. So I wanted to take the time here to cover just a few of the key herbs I use to support the women who come and see me.

As a general note, your health is precious, nothing published here is considered individual medical advice, you should seek the support of qualified and experienced health practitioners and avoid over the counter purchases if you’re dealing with long term complex issues. It’s a four year degree to become a herbalist and then many thousands of hours of reading and practice to understand how to apply this therapy to an individual person.

You might be surprised to see that there’s actually a fair bit of research published on herbal medicines and their application in women’s health. So let’s jump in…

Chaste Tree

One of the most common herbs for female health and historically this herb has been used for irregular cycles. It’s thought to directly impact your cycle by influencing progesterone. An increase in this hormone is associated with better outcomes with ovulation and PMS.

The strongest scientific evidence for this herb is in the application of mastalgia or breast pain. Which for some women can be very significant around or before their period. The studies have shown that taking this herb for two full cycles to see the effect is key.

You want to avoid this herb if you’re going through IVF, as it does have an impact on hormones and cycles you don’t want to risk competing with the synthetic hormones given to you by your specialist.

Also to be avoided during pregnancy. In fact you shouldn’t be self prescribing medicinal herbs generally. This herb is often commonly used for women who have very irregular cycles.

Maca

This is a stand out herb for menopause in particular! Worth noting not all Maca are created even.

As a plant there are lots of different types and where they grow matters as this affects the plants chemical composition, so sourcing the right Maca is key for results.

Studies on this herb have found that there’s a significant reduction in hot flushes, insomnia, and nervousness associated with menopause. It also appears to benefit sexual dysfunction or low libido commonly seen in menopause. With 3 grams improving libido scores. To find out more about how a naturopath can help with menopause head across to this link.

Generally speaking this is one herb that’s often taken in powder or tablet form. Research has shown that results take a while with optimum outcomes at 2 or 3 months from starting. Many women simply give up too early on this one.

Green Tea

This may seen like a strange one on the list however it’s one that I recommend more often than you’d think, especially for my female clients, it’s anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and helps with digestive function.

It’s one that can be included into your daily routine via a hot tea however to get a therapeutic amount you need to consume a large amount of tea, like 5-8 cups worth. So high quality capsules are a nice way to get the medicinal benefits of this particular herb.

Studies have shown that green tea consumption was associated with a 25 percent decrease in endometrial cancer… that is no small number!

There have also been clinical studies done on the internal and topical application of green tea in cervical dysplasia, so for women with CIN readings. HPV is one of the most common STD’s I’ve written a more in-depth article on this here.

There have been studies conducted that show a 69% response rate with green tea extract, and out of 27 women who had a CIN two reading 20 of them had positive results and improvements after 6 weeks.

If you’ve recently received a HPV diagnosis at the very least make a point of having green tea daily, if you’re concerns go beyond the wait and watch period please seek advice from your health care team.

Black Cohosh

There are many studies that have been conducted on this herb and it’s most well known for it’s use in menopause, but it’s useful for other lady issues.

One study of 84 women found that there was a slight reduction in hot flushes after using the product consistently for 4 weeks and a considerable amount found a significant decline in both the severity and number of flushes after 8 weeks of using this herb. So as I’ve mentioned above, herbal medicine is effective but you do need to give it some time to work its magic.

A great combination that’s been researched is black cohosh with St Johns Wort for menopausal depression, anxiety and mood swings.

Finally for this herb one study found that taking it at a specific time of the cycle was able to help PCOS patients who had long cycles with a lack of ovulation. Remember quality and dose matters.

To find out more about how a naturopath can help with PCOS head across to this post.

Ginger

If you struggle with period pain this little herb may just become your new best friend, we know it has a significant impact on inflammatory cytokines in the body and there’s research that’s shown taking ginger capsules one day before the period and continuing on for 4 days total significantly decreased period pain and the need for ibuprofen.

It also helped to reduce heavy bleeding during the period. It’s also a key herb for nausea and many of my pregnant women have benefited from this in their first trimester.

How to decide what herbs are best for my hormones?

A typical herbal dispensary can have over 50 individual herbal extracts or tinctures, after an in-depth consultation with a qualified herbalist you will have a bespoke herbal formula made for you. The herbs will be blended into a bottle at a specific ratio of each that’s specific for you.

Certain herbs are best taken at certain times in the cycle or at certain times of the day. Some herbs don’t play well with others and there are certain herbs that increase the clearance of medications like the pill from your body and so shouldn’t be taken with medications.

There is a lot more to herbal medicine than most people realise and to achieve results you want to work with someone who’s qualified and experienced with women’s health.