Every woman’s body is different. The way our bodies function, including our hormone levels, is also different. In fact, 80% of women are living with a hormonal imbalance of some kind—and most women aren’t even aware that they have one! Our hormones are produced in the endocrine system and travel throughout the body to regulate our metabolism, growth, mood, and reproductive health—so they’re critically important. However, when you have a hormonal imbalance, you can experience frustrating and uncomfortable symptoms that could interfere with your everyday life.
Some of the most common types of hormonal conditions women experience include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—something we talk about a ton here — perimenopause, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, endometriosis, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These conditions often come with symptoms like mood swings, irregular periods, weight gain, acne, and infertility.
The good news is that there are plenty of natural ways to balance your hormones. Things like slow-weighted exercises, a gluten and dairy-free diet, and stress management are huge, but there is more you can do to support your hormone balance! Taking herbal supplements or drinking tea can be a great way to further support your body’s hormone healing to finally relieve some of those difficult PCOS symptoms. To help you find the right herbs to regulate your hormones, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite herbs.
12 Herbs To Balance Hormones for PCOS
For thousands of years, people have used natural herbal medicine to treat illnesses, injuries, and hormonal imbalances. When you understand the benefits of certain herbs, you can help balance hormones naturally by incorporating them into your daily routine and diet.
Of course, a herb here and there isn’t going to make you suddenly symptom-free. The key is consistency—herbs work best when used over the long term along with other lifestyle changes. A holistic plan that includes herbs can give you the support you need to experience real change! As always, consult with your doctor before doing anything new to heal your PCOS.
Can Herbs Cure Hormonal Imbalance in PCOS?
Herbs can definitely help with the management of PCOS and alleviate symptoms experienced from a hormonal imbalance, but they are not an end-all-be-all cure. They are best used in collaboration with a balanced diet, improved stress management, better sleep hygiene, slow-weighted workouts, and more! When you take herbs and make lifestyle changes that support hormonal balance, you may experience improvements in not only hormonal imbalances, but inflammation and insulin resistance as well, which can help to relieve all your PCOS symptoms!
What Herbs Balance Hormones for PCOS?
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh has been shown in studies to help with two different hormonal imbalances related to PCOS. It can help both increase progesterone levels and lower luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, which is good for PCOS because when those two are balanced, egg quality improves. So, anyone looking to improve their fertility with PCOS, can potentially benefit from a black cohosh supplement or tea!
If conceiving is not one of your current PCOS health goals, that’s okay, Cysters! Raising progesterone is about more than conception. It can also regulate your menstrual cycle, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce high androgens! Those high androgens are what’s contributing to things like acne, hair loss, mood issues, and more. So, all-in-all, this is a good herb to add to your list.
Vitex
Vitex, also known as chasteberry, may be effective in regulating menstrual cycles and improving fertility in PCOS because it promotes a balance between estrogen and progesterone. It does this by influencing the pituitary gland, where these two important hormones are created. It can also raise dopamine levels (we all want those happy hormones!) and lower prolactin levels! (Here’s more on prolactin and PCOS.) You can find this herb in supplement form!
Spearmint
Do you love a refreshing cup of spearmint tea? It could be helping you balance your hormones!
Spearmint tea has been shown to have anti-androgenic properties, which help reduce elevated levels of androgens (the male hormones) in women with PCOS. It does this by increasing sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG.) Lowering these androgen levels can help improve symptoms like acne and hirsutism. Another study showed, spearmint also has anti-inflammatory properties. This is super useful because many PCOS symptoms stem not only from hormonal imbalance, but inflammation, too.
One of the main ingredients in my Testosterone Relief Tea is spearmint. Thanks to its role in inhibiting the binding of androgens to their receptors, you can reduce testosterone levels while also supporting a healthy metabolism.
Turmeric
Turmeric, also known as curcumin, when taken as a capsule or incorporated into your diet, can reduce inflammation, which is responsible for a lot of your PCOS symptoms depending on your PCOS type! Inflammation can cause things like digestive issues, low immune system, body pain, irregular periods, acne, and weight gain. So, improving that is high on our priority list!
Taking turmeric daily may also increase estrogen, progesterone, and FSH levels while decreasing LH (luteinizing hormone) levels, which can improve symptoms like infertility, high testosterone, and more! If that wasn’t enough, here are even more benefits of curcumin for PCOS.
Of course, with all these pros of turmeric, I had to include it in my supplement line! My Metabolism Plus bundle includes curcumin supplements to help women with PCOS get the support they need to thrive!
Maca Root
Maca root is also great for PCOS hormone balance! Maca root is what’s called an “adaptogen,” which is basically something that helps your body adapt to stress and maintain normal hormone balance. It helps prevent big spikes in cortisol (the stress hormones that contribute to belly fat) when things go south. This is great because cortisol increases can trigger increases in insulin resistance, inflammation, and other hormones . . . plus it can have you feeling super anxious and fatigued. Here’s more on the impact of stress on your hormones, so you know how a maca root supplement could potentially help!
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is another great one for stress! Women with hormone imbalances, especially women with PCOS, often experience increased cortisol levels. As mentioned, not only do these high cortisol levels make us feel stressed, but they can actually worsen other symptoms of PCOS by worsening insulin resistance, inflammation, and overall hormone balance. Ashwagandha has been shown to reduce high levels of cortisol and, therefore, lowering stress levels.
Chamomile
You are probably familiar with chamomile tea helping you get a good night’s sleep, and that in itself is important for hormone balance, but it can actually do a lot more for us Cysters! Chamomile has shown to lower testosterone levels in women with PCOS. This can improve things like acne, fatigue, hair loss, and mood swings, but it can also help improve heavy, irregular periods!
Licorice Root
Licorice root can help with all the major struggles of PCOS. Studies show it can lower androgen levels, reduce oxidative stress, decrease inflammation, and even improve blood sugar levels! The natural compounds in licorice root are powerful and can support hormone balance in multiple ways.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the best-researched herbs for hormone balance. Studies show it helps the body respond better to insulin, improving insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health. Since high insulin levels are directly linked to high androgen levels, cinnamon helps balance those too. On top of that, cinnamon contains compounds like polyphenols and cinnamaldehyde, which provide both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Nettle (Stinging Nettle Leaf)
The liver is a key player in hormone balance because it’s responsible for clearing excess hormones from the body. When hormones like estrogen or testosterone are out of whack, it’s the liver’s job to keep them in check. Nettle supports liver health, which is great for maintaining hormonal balance! Research also shows that nettle binds to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), which helps lower free testosterone levels.
Peony (White Peony Root)
Peony can slow down the conversion of testosterone, helping reduce the androgens that trigger symptoms like acne, hirsutism, hair loss, and anovulation. Like other herbs on this list, it’s anti-inflammatory, but studies specifically highlight its usefulness for pelvic pain—a big win for anyone struggling with this common PCOS symptom.
Lemon Balm
Many herbs on this list are anti-androgenic, which is great, but PCOS involves many different hormonal imbalances. Lemon balm helps with others, like cortisol and thyroid hormones. First, lemon balm is an adaptogen. This means it calms the mind and lowers stress, which in turn helps regulate cortisol. Second, it can modulate thyroid activity to support hormone balance. Lastly, lemon balm is mildly sedative and supports melatonin production, improving sleep—which is a huge factor in overall hormone health.
How To Balance Hormones With Herbs
Teas, capsules, powders, and drops are all ways you can take herbs to support your PCOS healing journey! Natural supplements like mine here at Ovafit are a great foundation to any natural healing processes. Of course, herbs on their own won’t cut it, so head over to the PCOS Weight Loss blog and download The Cysterhood app for the complete protocol that’ll help you become symptom-free with PCOS without the side-effect heavy prescriptions. Together, we can do it!
Find natural remedies to balance your hormones and reduce uncomfortable symptoms.
Using herbs in capsules or tea forms is one of the best things women with a hormonal imbalance can do to help ease and manage their symptoms. By adding the right (and evidence-based) natural supplements and herbal remedies to your daily diet and making a few key lifestyle changes, you can totally transform how you feel in your body. Need more natural remedies for balancing hormones? Learn all about drinking apple cider vinegar for PCOS.
To get started on your symptom-free journey, check out our Testerone Relief Tea, Metabolism Plus Bundle, and Inositol Complete 40:1 Powder. These powerhouse supplements made just for PCOS have amazing hormone balancing effects to get you to your goals!