Use & Avoidance Of Herbs, Essential Oils, Plant Extracts,

[seano]

Is this an overlooked area? Have any of y'all dug into it or found reliable references?

Herbs, extracts, and especially highly concentrated essential oils can have a huge impact on estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, and so on.

For example, non-concentrated peppermint/spearmint tea lowers testosterone.

Yet many in our community, and most of society, use concentrates of them daily (toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, ...)

I personally had been using tea tree for acne & lavender for skin healing before reading that they might be anti-androgenic. Though it's not clear.

 

[seano]

Bumping this old question.

 

[mt_dreams]

Yes the mint issue has come up before on this forum. I use to put the extract in a lot of my desserts prior to first hearing about this issue.. I'm pretty sure Ray said most herbs that are leaves will raise estrogen. Roots seem to be the better choice due to the estrogen issue. I avoid mint, but I often have orange/lemon oil wafting around my house.
Lavender will definitely increase estrogen. they often tell parents not to use in high quantities with babies. I'm not sure if the therapeutic properties of the these herbs out-way the estrogen aspects.
I have tea tree in my first aid kit and tend to use it only when I have a rash or insect bite. if you're using every day then it will probably have a estrogen impact.

 

[lindsay]

I regularly have Lemon Oil, Orange Oil, Lavender oil, Ginger Oil (for digestion) & Oregano Oil (for infection) on hand. Also, I have leftovers of Peppermint and just bought tea tree, Basil oil and Eucalyptis, though I have yet to use them.

There are a lot of things in life that I opt to follow my senses on. For instance, I used to absolutely hate Lavender scented lotions and soaps. Then I discovered what really good lavender oil smells like and now I love the stuff - especially for itches and for general well being. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if most oils out on the market and added to cosmetic and personal care items are pretty crappy. If a scent bothers you, I wouldn't use it. If it doesn't and, if in fact, you love it, I would experiment with it. I did a lot of research before I started buying essential oils, and I'm not crazy into them. But lemon, lavender and orange oil - I just love those three. If smell can be relaxing and create a sense of well-being, I think that is a beneficial thing. If not, then I would avoid scents - which I generally do in household product, unless they are organic.

 

[tara]

they often tell parents not to use in high quantities with babies.

I hadn't heard that when I had babies. I regularly used a lavender-scented potion on their skin. I'd use a lot less of it now. I've kind of gone off the scent myself.

 

[mt_dreams]

I hadn't heard that when I had babies. I regularly used a lavender-scented potion on their skin. I'd use a lot less of it now. I've kind of gone off the scent myself.

There were a couple of studies that came to light in canada. the reason it made news was b/c a large number of baby products were using lavender as a scent. I believe the caution was more directed towards boys.

 

[Frankdee20]

I'd still have low testosterone if I never consumed my Green Tea, Valerian Root, Chamomile, etc. So it doesn't matter, how estrogenic can moderate use of that stuff be ? Would they estrogenize Lou Ferrigno, Hulk Hogan, or Richard Simmons ?

 

[Tzheng2012]

If you look into chinese herbs, there are many "yang" ones that increase sexual libido and enery which i assume would equate to higher testosterone? Things like eucommia bark, ginseng root, morinda, and cistanche, horny goat weed are fairly well known.

 

[Frankdee20]

Thanks, currently on a Ginseng blend, and although it doesn't increase my libido per se, I believe it's enhancing my sexual response.

 

[ecstatichamster]

most oils are estrogenic. Lavender in particular is VERY estrogenic so I would avoid these oils as best I can.

 

[DaveFoster]

most oils are estrogenic. Lavender in particular is VERY estrogenic so I would avoid these oils as best I can.

Hey hamster, do you know of any oils that aren't estrogenic or any that you personally use? I'm looking for some oil before I purchase a scent diffuser.

 

[ecstatichamster]

Hey hamster, do you know of any oils that aren't estrogenic or any that you personally use? I'm looking for some oil before I purchase a scent diffuser.

I don’t.

 

[DaveFoster]

I don’t.

That's unfortunate. Orange oil has carcinogenic properties in rats.

 

[Peatogenic]

most oils are estrogenic. Lavender in particular is VERY estrogenic so I would avoid these oils as best I can.

Do you mean topically/orally?

 

[ecstatichamster]

Both. I think, small infrequent amounts as for aromatherapy or perfume is probably okay.

 

[Light]

Hey hamster, do you know of any oils that aren't estrogenic or any that you personally use? I'm looking for some oil before I purchase a scent diffuser.

Hi @DaveFoster , @ecstatichamster did you happen to find a non-offensive oil since this post?
I'm gonna use tallow for moisturizing and i'm looking for something nice-smelling to mask the scent.

 

[tara]

Would vanilla be any use?

 

[Lollipop2]

Lemon Essential oil, orange essential oil. D-limonene, ginger essential oil, cinnamon essential oil are a few that might work and are much more Peat friendly.

 

[Nicole W.]

Is this an overlooked area? Have any of y'all dug into it or found reliable references?

Herbs, extracts, and especially highly concentrated essential oils can have a huge impact on estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, and so on.

For example, non-concentrated peppermint/spearmint tea lowers testosterone.

Yet many in our community, and most of society, use concentrates of them daily (toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, ...)

I personally had been using tea tree for acne & lavender for skin healing before reading that they might be anti-androgenic. Though it's not clear.

I think the biggest problem with essential oils is that people do not understand how to use them correctly. Aromatherapy is a branch of herbal medicine and as such should be used cautiously and judiciously. Read some books on the subject before introducing them into your healing protocol. There are some oils that are fairly benign and have mostly positive effects and there are some that are so potent, that when used inappropriately, will literally put you in the hospital.
My rule of thumb, first and foremost, is to never use an essential oil for more than a two week period. After that the risk of sensitization becomes a real possibility and you probably won’t be able to use that essential oil ever again. Because of this I never put essential oils in face creams or body products that I use daily.
Also, I always cringe when someone says X essential oil is estrogenic. It may have that quality to some extent... but along with it’s other actions, tends to be healing. Essential oils are not one dimensional. They impart many actions on the body, not just one. They are adaptogenic in nature and can be incredibly therapeutic. Don’t dismiss them out of hand just because you’re afraid of they may estrogenic. You should only be using them short term anyway.
Also, if an essential oil doesn’t smell good to you then don’t use it. I think just by scent alone our body can have a dialogue with a substance and know whether it would be beneficial.
My favorite essential oils are:
Myrrh ( neat) for healing bites or small wounds
Helicrysum for burns or irritation
Palmarosa for itching or fungal issues
Neroli for hormone and mood balancing
Eucalyptus for colds or respiratory issues.

 

[Light]

Because of this I never put essential oils in face creams or body products that I use daily.

Do you use something else (not an essential oil) that might have a nice smell and can be used daily?
As I wrote above, I wanna use tallow as a moisturizer, and i'm looking for something that smells nice to use with it.
The tallow doesn't stink but it's not nice either.