How to Balance Your Hormones Naturally for Health + Wellbeing
Sometimes hormones are the underlying root cause of our ongoing health problems and we don’t even realise it.
Because hormones work with and affect every system of our body, and work in such delicate balance they can negatively impact so many aspects of your health, life + wellbeing…
Welcome to part two of this hormone series, covering the general aspects of your moon cycle + using herbal medicine as a natural cure to treat all your hormone imbalance as a whole to improve problem symptoms.
If you’d like to read other posts on hormone health + managing your menstrual cycle symptoms you can read the here:
Natural remedies for period pain
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Problems that can be caused by hormones
If you aren’t sure if your health issues are down to hormones here’s a little list of some of the most common symptoms + health problems that can be caused by hormones. Some you may know, others you may not have realised:
headaches + migraines (often repeating at a similar time in your cycle)
muscle/joint/nerve pain that gets worse at a certain time of the month
trouble sleeping
painful periods
heavy or long periods
digestive issues eg. gas/bloating/constipation
Painful and/or swollen breasts
back pain ( especially if it’s repeating at a similar time in your cycle)
fatigue
feeling down or depressed
being over emotional and feeling things deeply
Female hormones and your moon cycle
While changes in your hormone levels throughout your moon cycle is normal for many of us our hormones can be too high or lower than they should be at different times. This can be caused by many things -- your diet, stress, environmental factors. Not to mention the amount of toxins, pesticides and chemicals we come into contact with and get absorbed into our bodies to cause havoc and sickness!
For those of you who don't know what the female cycle and natural hormone changes look like throughout the month see the diagram above. Each of your cycles should last 28 days, which is why it is also called your moon cycle. Although some cycles can be as little as 21 days, or as long as 40 days.
Naturally none of us should be having any pain or discomfort during our cycle and our cycle should be as close to 28 days each cycle, with a bleed lasting 1-5 days. If you are suffering from pain, cramps, discomfort, mood swings, headaches, lack of periods or extra heavy/long periods etc. then that means something is off balance. Something needs to change.
How to Balance your hormones naturally
The first step to balancing your hormones is learning what your personal cycle looks like. You can achieve this by tracking your cycle for 3-6 months either via an app on your phone or a paper form tracker.
Filling in the details on your tracker allows you to start noticing reoccurring symptoms. Possible symptom triggers, and any connections or correlations between your actions -> symptoms.
What do you need to track?
how long does your cycle last for?
when do you get pain and cramps? How long does it last for?
when do you feel bloated or uncomfortable? How long does it last for?
do you get painful or tender breasts/nipples? and when does that start? How long does it last for?
the date each month you usually start to menstruate + the last day
if and when you get mood swings or heightened emotions
headaches / migraines
digestive issues
skin condition
sleep patterns + energy levels
your feelings/moods/emotions throughout the cycle
You get the idea.... map out all your symptoms. Do this over a few months so that you know what is normal for you and what issues you want to work on.
Once you have your list of problem areas use the information in these posts to find the herbal cure(s) that work for you.
Foods for balancing the Female Cycle
In addition to eating a healthy and balanced diet, and working to remove harmful toxins from your environment that can cause hormone issues, including filtering your water and NOT drinking out of or using plastic containers, there are a few additional specific foods that are nourishing for women, and that can help you with balance and producing happy hormones.
Aubergine -- (or eggplant if you are from the US). Aubergine is warming and a circulation enhancer, excellent to take for if you are physiologically a cold not warm person. Particularly in Ayurveda it is thought to be the greatest food for women's healing. It is thought to contain phytosterols which are plant compounds that mimic hormones.
Garlic, onion & garlic -- all three of these are hormone enhancing, circulation enhancing, tonic foods. Again they are all used in Ayurvedic medicine. All are immune supportive, and act as tonics for your hormone producing endocrine glands.
Flaxseed, olive, sesame, & almond oil -- all are good oils that go into formation of helpful hormones.
Celery -- celery has two uses that are helpful during your cycle. The vegetable is a relaxant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-irritant which, if you drink as a juice, is very good for relieving period related anxiety and PMS. Celery seeds on the the other hand are hormone balancing and also contain phytosterols. Seeds are not to be used during pregnancy.
Parsley & watercress -- both of these herbs are good for your kidneys and help reduce water retention.
Sage -- sage is a hormone balancing spice that also contains phytosterols. Do not use if you are still breast feeding though as it dries up breast milk.
Seed Cycling
Seed cycling is an Ayurvedic practice that uses certain seed combinations at certain times during your cycle to help you balance your hormones. From the first day of your menstruation to the middle of your cycle you want to take a spoonful of flax seeds and a spoonful of pumpkin seeds.
Then through the second half of your cycle switch to taking a spoonful of sunflower seeds and a spoonful of sesame seeds.
You want to do this every morning starting on the first day of your cycle -- the first day of your period. You can use a calendar or cycle tracking app to help you with this if you need.
Because this is such a natural method and the oils in these seeds need time to build up in your body you need to be consistent with this method for a few months before you will see big results.
But I definitely recommend tracking your symptoms throughout so you can look back and see your improvements and what has changed.
Seed cycling for balancing your hormones naturally
Seeds can be eaten whole or ground, just by the spoonful or added to smoothies, as topping for your breakfast or any other way you prefer.
Herbs for balancing your hormones
In addition to all the above there are also a number of wild plant remedies and herbal medicines that you can use that work to balance your hormones and relieve your moon cycle symptoms.
Milk thistle
Milk thistle is in fact a liver cleansing and supporting herb. Your liver is the organ responsible (along with other organs such as your skin, kidneys, and lungs) for removing and eliminating from the body toxins, germs, foreign bodies, waste, and excess hormones.
But, with the amount of work your liver has to do for your body to elongate the toxins we come into contact with in modern day-to-day life, it can often struggle to perform all of these processes fully.
When your liver isn’t able to remove excess hormones from your body they circle in your blood stream causing hormone imbalance and all kinds of pesky side effects.
Taking milk thistle not only helps your liver function, supports your whole body, and can clear up your skin, but it also help make sure all those excess hormones are removed from your body and helps restore your normal hormone balance + function.
Agnus Castus
This berry is one of my favourites for helping restore all round hormone balance. It works by helping your body to produce the right amount of each hormone involved in your cycle rather than focusing on any one hormone imbalance.
As a result it brings balance back to your body.
Take agnus castus for about six months initially. If your symptoms stop and you start to feel better then try stopping the supplement + see how you feel. If your symptoms start up again then continue the supplement for a further six months.
Agnus castus is a gentle healing process and as with all herbal medicine, because it is natural it works with the body, therefore can take a little longer to fully take effect.
Ashwaganda
Ashwaganda is an adaptogen that has many healing properties including being able to balance female hormones. Particularly oestrogen. If you suffer from painful or tender breasts during your cycle that is caused by elevated levels of oestrogen hormones. It is also wonderfully calming. Take on an evening to help you get a restful nights sleep, both getting to and staying asleep.
Ashwaganda helps your body to adapt + deal with stress — one of the main causes of hormone disruption!
It’s also a useful herb to take if you tend to suffer with anger and frustration during your PMS.
Take an ashwaganda supplement -- around 1000mg per day, or you can use a powdered form and add a spoonful to your smoothies, mug of hot chocolate, hot milk, or morning coffee.
Red raspberry leaf
Raspberry leaf can be dried and drunk as a herbal tea, which is probably the best way to take it. But is also available as a capsule. It is a very mild herb, but is used by women around the world as a hormone balancer.
Dong quai
This is a herb from Chinese medicine. In Chinese culture it's considered a quintessential herb for a woman to take throughout her life and is used widely as a tonic for the reproductive system. Particularly those relating to PMS.
It works to regulate your menstrual cycle, it's an antispasmodic as well as helping in cases of low eostrogen. Dong quai is mildly warming, and slightly bitter, but better tasting than many medicinal herbs meaning it tastes quite nice as a tea or broth. If you don't fancy that it is also available for you to take in capsules or tinctures too.
Schizandra berry
This berry is very balancing for female hormones and can be used long term. You can take schizandra to balance your hormones as well as improve digestion, reduce fatigue and relieve insomnia and forgetfulness -- things we can all suffer from at that time of the month!
Shatavari root
This is an Ayurvedic herb that is particularly good for treating women's problems, and is very similar to Dong quai. It is used widely used as a tonic for your productive system, as well as a blood tonic, and will work to soothe your uterine muscles too. In Ayurveda it suggested as especially good for pitta (fire) type personalities.
Learn More About Your Hormones From digestion to healthy skin, many health complaints can stem from an imbalance of hormones. If you are struggling with unwanted menstrual symptoms + would like to learn more about your menstrual cycle, hormones + how to start healing them my new eBook can help: Learn how to support + nurture your body in each phase of your monthly cycle to improve your energy, mood, and wellbeing.
How to Balance your hormones naturally; some extra tips
This may be obvious to some, but not everyone so I'd like to include it anyways. Some of the very simplest things you can do to help your hormones are some lifestyle tweaks. Things like —
Making sure you get enough sleep, taking care of yourself and your needs both physically and emotionally.
Connecting with nature and working to stay grounded, as well as making sure you get fresh air and exercise daily.
Looking after your emotional wellbeing - meditate or practice yoga, and make sure you are managing your stress levels.
Because sometimes the basics are the most important AND can make the biggest improvements!
Wishing you a happy moon cycle,
xo Emily