Seed Cycling: Bring Balance To Your Hormones
Written by Dr. Stephanie Liebrecht | Aug 2, 2019
Seed cycling is used to bring balance to the female hormone cycle. The nutrients found in these seeds are used to support the body’s own production of estrogen and progesterone, and promote a 28-Day menstrual cycle.
How It Works
There are 2 phases of the female hormonal cycle: the Follicular Phase and Luteal Phase. ?The Follicular Phase starts on the first day of menstrual flow (your period), and ends with ovulation - usually Day 14 but this varies between women. During the Follicular Phase, estrogen is being released while progesterone levels remain low. After ovulation, the Luteal Phase begins and progesterone is released. Progesterone becomes the most present hormone, while some estrogen is still made. Through the use of food (and as Hippocrates said “Let Food Be Thy Medicine”), Seed Cycling is can guide the body into this rhythm.
The Protocol
The seeds are taken every day according to where you are in your cycle. The seeds will still provide benefit even if they are not organic, so each person can choose whether they want to use organic seeds or not. You will want to store ground flaxseed in the fridge to keep the oils fresh (oils are released from flax when ground up).
Day 1 to Day 14 (Day 1 = 1st day of period)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2 tbsp pumpkin seed
Day 15 to Day 28
- 2 tbsp sesame seed + 2 tbsp sunflower seed
Flaxseed has slight estrogenic effects. It does this by binding estrogen receptors, and is able to create a milder effect similar to what our own estrogen would. For women with high estrogen, flaxseed can be used to take up spots on the receptors and decrease the amount of estrogen activity overall. Pumpkin seeds contain zinc, an important nutrient used to make the progesterone needed in the Luteal Phase.? Sesame seeds naturally contain zinc and selenium, while sunflower seeds contain Vitamin E - all of which are required to further support progesterone production in the Luteal Phase.
Who Can Use Seed Cycling
Seed Cycling can be used by anyone looking to bring balance to their hormones! In practice, I use this protocol for women experiencing irregular cycles, long cycles (ie. over 35 days), short cycles (ie. under 25 days), bringing back an absent period (amenorrhea), spotting, infertility, promoting fertility, cramping, acne, mood changes, hormone related headaches and migraines, and supporting one's hormones as they come off the pill. We can even use some of these ingredients for managing menopausal symptoms!
If you have any questions or have been wondering about your own hormones - we would love to help you! There are so many wonderful options for hormone balancing through Naturopathic Medicine!
Dr. Stephanie Liebrecht
Naturopathic Doctor
