Essential Oils for Hormone Balance

Women of all ages experiences imbalances in hormones, which can manifest as anything from irregular periods, painful periods, PMS symptoms, fertility issues, all the way through to peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms. There are lots of natural ways to help regain balance; I love using essential oils for hormone balance, while at the same time adjusting one’s diet and nutrition to try to help the root cause of the problem.

Clary Sage: clary sage is perhaps one of the best known essential oils for helping with hormone balance. It helps to balance out estrogen levels, which is helpful especially leading up on one’s period where estrogen levels naturally drop (sometimes too sharply). It can also be a great help in relieving the cramps associated with periods since it helps to relax smooth muscle, and no doubt it is calming for the nervous system and helps to promote sleep (I love combining clary sage with bergamot, cedar wood, and geranium in this context). Clary sage can be diffused, but I like it applied topically over the lower abdominal area.

Thyme: I never used to think of thyme for hormones as much as countering infectious threats and supporting healthy immune response, but thyme definitely has it’s place in healthy hormones! It can support normal progesterone levels, and drops in progesterone are one of the key causes of PMS-type symptoms including grumpiness and irritability; also declining progesterone is also a hallmark of peri menopause which starts for most women in her 40’s and can cause heightened PMS, mood changes and shorter/ less regular menstrual cycles.

Lavender: along with being a great calming oil for the nervous system, lavender plays a role in maintaining normal and healthy hormone levels. What I love the most about it though, in this context, is how uplifting it is to one’s mood, and how it can help offset the grumpies, and also the blahs, that can come with normal hormone shifts throughout the month. It’s lovely used in a bath at night to promote relaxation and good sleep, and can be combined nicely with clary sage and the oils listed above.

Basil: I use basil more for adrenal and thyroid support, but knowing how intertwined our hormonal pathways are, it makes sense that this could help female hormones further along the pathway (remember, prior to menopause our adrenals produce 35% of our female hormones, after menopause that level goes up to 50%). Basil can be applied directly over the adrenals (which can be tricky since they’re above our kidneys towards our back!), or on the soles of the feet. It can also be taken internally, and it’s great to add when cooking.

There are two key products that I love for supporting hormones:

1. Monthly blend for women – this is a combination of various oils, already packaged in a roller bottle – it’s great for soothing any muscle aches, keeping hormone levels in balance and supporting your best possible mood!! It contains Clary Sage, Geranium, Lavender, Bergamot, Roman Chamomile, Cedarwood, Ylang Ylang, Fennel, Carrot seed, Palmarosa and Vitex. This is an easy way to utilize the key oils you will need.

2. Phytoestrogen complex – this is not an oil blend, but is a combination of naturally-occurring phytoestrogens in capsule form. Many hormone issues are caused by imbalances in estrogen – sudden drops prior to menses can cause migraines or headaches; low estrogen during menopause can result in hot flashes and sleep disturbance. Imbalances in estrogen can also make conception difficult. Phytoestrogens are mild forms of estrogen that can help the body in it’s natural, balanced state. They have weak binding effects on the estrogen receptors, providing a gentle but significant effect. Also, with the plethora of xeno-estrogens we’re exposed to through our environment, gentle phytoestrogens can prevent them from being able to bind and potentially create more damaging effects. The phytoestrogen complex I use contains genestein, flax ligans and pomegranate extract, and it is a great adjunct to the monthly oil blend for long-term hormone balance.

Contact me if you’re interested in trying any of these remedies and I’ll show you how you can get wholesale prices!!