What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a reproductive concern affecting roughly 10% of women who are of reproductive age globally. That equates to about 190 million women. Endometriosis is characterized as a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and infertility. This can look like heavy periods, long periods, painful periods, painful intercourse, pain with bowel movements and/or urination, and inflammation.
Thankfully there are many ways to help treat and prevent this condition! One of our favorite ways are herbs! Below we will discuss herbs to help treat and prevent endometriosis!
To learn more about herbs to treat reproductive concerns such as PMS and painful periods, listen to our podcast episode here!
Turmeric
The active chemical, curcumin, within turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory agent! This herb helps alleviate endometriosis by reducing estradiol production and suppressing tissue migration of the lining of the uterus. Also, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms help reduce symptoms of endometriosis!
Chamomile
Chamomile is a common herb used to regulate the nervous system and treat sleep ailments, however it is also a lovely herb for women’s health concerns. Chamomile has a compound called chrysin which has been found to suppress the growth of endometrial cells.
Ginger
Ginger is an herb which has been used medicinally for women’s health concerns for ages. This herb helps reduce inflammation and menstrual pain which aids in alleviating pain associated with endometriosis. Find this herb in both our herbal remedies Soothe for PMS and Bitters for digestive health!
Vitex (Chasteberry)
This herb is a very versatile remedy when it comes to women’s health. The way is works in the body is by boosting progesterone production and helping the body find hormonal balance, reducing estrogen dominance which is responsible for endometriosis as well as other concerns such as PMS.
Find this herb in our herbal remedy for PMS here.
Ashwagandha
This herb is an adaptogen and helps our body have a healthy stress response in times of distress or unease. This is important to note as women with endometriosis have higher levels of cortisol than those without this condition. Cortisol is raised when stress levels are high and has been linked to this reproductive concern. Therefore ashwagandha holds a lot of promise in treating endometriosis by supporting the body overall.
Nature provides us with so many amazing medicinal plants and medicines from the herbs listed here to the healing benefits of getting daily sun exposure. To learn more about how to best support your hormones and overall health, follow us on social media for daily tips and information as well as listen to our podcast on all things hormone health here!