Have you heard about synergy?

The “working together” approach that is often used in the natural health field?

It holds incredible potential to multiply benefits for your well-being. 

We can embrace synergy by combining two or more substances to compound effects, as in the term “greater than the sum of its parts,” by blending a variety of substances into one product. We can also embrace synergy by harnessing the power of one health system to boost another and vice versa.

When this is achieved, we tap into a biological, evidence-based form of magic!

But why is this essential for women’s hormones and natural ingredients?

Hormone balance is a delicate dance that is essential for women’s health. When hormones like estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones, and insulin are in harmony, they allow the body to function well and flourish.

When they’re out of sync — off-kilter — a host of health issues can arise. The best of nature helps to reverse this imbalance.

We can supplement with a dozen products, hoping to create positive change. Or we can embrace synergism and supercharge results with fewer ingredients and less cost. That’s the approach we favor!

Our unique formulation of natural ingredients — Ashwagandha, Chaste Berry, Dong Quai, and more — has been blended to support hormonal balance and promote women’s health.

But before we dive into how this works, let’s quickly revise.

A summary: the role of hormones in women’s health

Hormones are chemical messengers influencing everything from mood to waist size to metabolism.

Estrogen and progesterone are critical players in the menstrual cycle and fertility (and so much more!), while thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, and insulin controls blood sugar levels. 

When these hormones are imbalanced, symptoms including fatigue, infertility, menstrual cycle irregularities, weight gain, and mood swings can result.

The synergistic power of systems and ingredients

One of the reasons plant medicine has stayed the course in therapy for thousands (yes, literally) of years is its ability to create holistic balance. To work not on a singular factor but across a range of systems.

Ashwagandha: the ancient herb revered for calming stress and balancing hormones

Take Ashwagandha, (Withania somnifera).

For almost six millennia, this herb has been used as a rasayana, “a way to achieve homeostasis [balance]... thus retarding the process of aging phenomenon and prevention of diseases.” This balancing property extends to benefiting stress and female hormones.

Research shows that Ashwagandha has potent anti-stress and anti-anxiety activities and appears to encourage sounder sleep and relieve depression. Each of these is troublesome but also impacts the endocrine (hormonal) system.

An article published in the journal Current Neuropharmacology noted that Ashwagandha may positively benefit these conditions “predominantly through modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and sympathetic-adrenal medullary axes.”

Yes, by calming the stress system and balancing the neuroendocrine system. The latter is the mechanism that allows the nervous and hormone systems to “talk.” You can imagine this like going from an angst-ridden to a civil conversation.

And the proof is in the scientific pudding.

An eight-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (considered the gold standard in research) divided perimenopausal women experiencing climacteric symptoms — the symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, sweats, and vaginal dryness — into two groups. One took a placebo: the colloquial inactive sugar pill. The other took 300 mg of Ashwagandha root extract twice daily. 

At the end of the study, the women supplemented with Ashwagandha experienced significant relief. They felt better psychologically and had less urinary and genital problems. They felt their quality of life had increased. Blood hormone levels became more balanced, including estrogen, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH).

Ashwagandha is revered for its stress-reducing properties, and it also supports the production of estrogen. It works in harmony with Chaste Berry, renowned for supporting progesterone levels and helping lower high testosterone.

Chaste Berry: a herbal powerhouse for women’s health

For a good reason, Chaste Berry (Vitex agnus-castus) has a long therapeutic history in women’s health.

This potent herb has been shown to reduce a depressed mood, hot flashes, irritability, sleep issues, and sweating — common symptoms in perimenopause and beyond. It improves symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and latent hyperprolactinemia (too much of the hormone prolactin in the blood).

Naturally, these benefits may quell the understandable strain these problems can cause. Reducing stress reduces suffering.

Chaste Berry also lowers inflammation. Inflammation can upset hormones — including insulin and thyroid hormones — and cause pain.

Dong Quai: known as “the female ginseng” for good reason

Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) is sometimes referred to as female ginseng because of its use in women’s health, including painful periods.

Uterine prostaglandins — chemicals that moderate (including increasing) inflammation — may trigger menstrual cramping. They cause the womb to contract and constrict its small blood vessels. Dong Quai inhibits uterine contraction and improves microcirculation, at least in mouse studies. With Dong Quai’s anti-inflammatory properties, this makes sense.

But heightened inflammation doesn’t only cause spasms in the womb. It negatively affects hormones and other parts of the body. Inflammation can induce insulin resistance, including in healthy humans. Think type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

In balance, thyroid hormones can protect against inflammation. Out of balance, they can contribute to inflammation. Inflammation can cause thyroid imbalance, too.

The synergistic takeaway

The incredible female body and brain aren’t as simple as many would have you believe. Your hormones are complex. So are the natural ingredients shown to support women’s health. 

Each system and suitable compounds work with one another. They promote synergy, achieving a “greater than the sum of its parts” effect that magnifies and supercharges function and well-being.

Ashwagandha, Chaste Berry, and Dong Quai work together. We have incorporated this trio and other potent compounds into our supplement, Balance. Harnessing the power of synergy to deliver multiple benefits in a single product!

Start supporting your hormonal balance today!