Herbs effects on females

[Canari]

As some herbs you mention are very common, and as they are not meant only for men, could you please tell is you know what effect they have on women? Do they also boost our little testosterone, or do they boost something else? Do they have an effect on progesterone for example?

Of course they are all different, so here is for a start....

Maybe, cdsnuts, you did not dig into the details, just fine if we have to dig ourselves, and you do not know more than the needed effect on testosterone for men.

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/cordyceps/

Cordyceps has been popular among athletes ever since it was reported that the Chinese female track teams of nine members used it for great effect, setting nine world records in the 1993 National championship.

And not the male team? :?:

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/ashwaganda/

only happen at excessive dosages. It’s been reported to cause abortions, so pregnant women should avoid this herb. It is not recommended to take in combination with other sedatives or anti-anxiety drugs

Clear effect on hormone, but which one? Does it lower progesterone?
How is it sedative?

 

[Canari]

Catuaba bark is clearly used in both sexes. In those w they talk about the erythroxylum catuaba :
http://www.rain-tree.com/catuaba.htm#.WifmFvYWU8o

And if you can read spanish or would translate... Just the website name is clear about the sort of infromation they give!
https://www.pene-sano.com/catuaba.html

Others mention some slight differences between the only 2 trees that are considered the best:
https://thesunlightexperiment.com/catuaba

Catuaba is actually the common name for 2 trees found in the Amazon rainforest. They are aptly named "big catuaba" (Trichilia catigua) and "small catuaba" (Erythroxylum catuaba) indicative of their comparitive size.

 

[Canari]

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/cistanche/
Cistanche looks very interesting, even for children.

http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/cistanche/
Seems a very good website....

considered one of the best Chinese herbs to strengthen kidneys, tonify Yang, and benefit essence and blood. It works for women and children as well since it is not that tonic as people think it should be. It tonifies while causing no endogenous heat and, more importantly, helps free movement of bowels.It also has a therapeutic effect for women’s infertility, excessive uterine bleeding, myoma of uterus, low back pain, and more.

according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it shouldn’t be used in the cases of fire excess from yin deficiency, diarrhea, and constipation due to stomach excess heat.

 

[Canari]

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/cordyceps/
Cordyceps... a very special mushroom! Nice that it can grow on barley too!

Also useful for women...
http://cordythebest.blogspot.com.es/2011/03/cordycep-benefits-for-women.html

Cordyceps is supposed to increase the number of the Natural Killer Cells, which are responsible for the body defense against viruses and bacteria.
Improving sexual function in men and increasing libido by stimulating the production of sex hormones. Cordyceps may also be a means for fighting female infertility.
Building muscles and improving physical performance.

It also promotes more restful sleep, soothes the nervous system, and reduces anxiety, thus working as a sedative.
it relaxes bronchial walls.

Seems to have some para-sympathetic action too...

And goji http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/goji-berry/
(except for psoriasis and solanaceae-free diets)
General use, thus nothing special for women....
Seem to accompany frequently cordyceps use and also cistanche (there are some recipes for those who have the products and not the capsules!)

 

[Canari]

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/horny-goat-weed/
Mention about women:

Because of its Yang nature this herb is mostly used by men, but can certainly be used by women too. Like other herbs the dosage is often cut in half. For best effects it is also combined with yin sexual herbs.

It does contain phyto-estrogens, Icaritin and Desmethylicaritin, which were shown to raise the levels of estrogen in post-menopausal women.

Based on lots of men taking this for positive sexual effects, I don’t think these phyto-estrogens are going to raise your estrogen levels or decrease testosterone in anyway. One study with men found no estrogenic activity.

But what is the effect?
Thanks for this caution advise, they should be translated into western understanding please:

Contraindications: Not for use with those with yin deficiency with heat signs. Can also be drying.

Because if you read here:
http://www.cordycepsbenefits.org/cordyceps-and-libido/
They like cordyceps and goji, but not the horny goat herb.

Horny goat weed. This herb is used in Chinese medicine to restore the yang, or male part of the kidney energy. It is NEVER taken alone. It is always taken in tiny doses for short periods of time. If you take this herb, these are the side effects you can get very quickly:
Insomnia
Irritability
Excess facial hair in women ( is any amount not excessive?)

Long term damage to your yin. The yin is the part of your body that is important for longevity. If you take horny goat weed, you can damage this. It takes a very long time of taking herbs like American ginseng to restore this. You will age faster also.

What creates excess facial hair in women?

It can still be taken by women, as long as you are cautious and know yourself enough to decide.
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/6-big-health-benefits-of-epimedium-for-women/

https://nootriment.com/horny-goat-weed-for-women/

https://www.livestrong.com/article/460069-can-women-take-horny-goat-weed/

http://naturalhornygoatweed.com/is-horny-goat-weed-for-women/

https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/herbal-remedies/horny-goat-weed4.htm

 

[Cdsnuts]

As some herbs you mention are very common, and as they are not meant only for men, could you please tell is you know what effect they have on women? Do they also boost our little testosterone, or do they boost something else? Do they have an effect on progesterone for example?

Of course they are all different, so here is for a start....

Maybe, cdsnuts, you did not dig into the details, just fine if we have to dig ourselves, and you do not know more than the needed effect on testosterone for men.

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/cordyceps/

Cordyceps has been popular among athletes ever since it was reported that the Chinese female track teams of nine members used it for great effect, setting nine world records in the 1993 National championship.

And not the male team? :?:

http://www.totalmaleoptimization.com/testosterone-boosting-supplement-rotation/ashwaganda/

only happen at excessive dosages. It’s been reported to cause abortions, so pregnant women should avoid this herb. It is not recommended to take in combination with other sedatives or anti-anxiety drugs

Clear effect on hormone, but which one? Does it lower progesterone?
How is it sedative?

As the sites name implies, Total Male Optimization, I only work with men. The simple reason being....I am one.

 

[Cdsnuts]

[mention]Canari[/mention]

I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this section is for men dealing with a myriad of health conditions. This is where my expertise lies. This section is specifically for discussing the results men get while following the protocol on www.totalmaleoptimization.com.

Women are more then welcome to view the information contained within, obviously, but I have no experience dealing with any type of women's issues.

There fore, how the herbs relate to women are a bit off topic for this section as I have absolutely no input.

Thanks anyway.

 

[Canari]

As the sites name implies, Total Male Optimization, I only work with men. The simple reason being....I am one.

That is why I am coming to the idea it can be beneficial to understand effects of plants, diet, hormones etc, on both males and females, as most part of our physiology is similar. I have always seen that curiosity about differences -in all subjects not only gender differences- is leading to better understandings!

 

[Canari]

[mention]Cdsnuts[/mention] It is still possible to change this topic to another forum, though I started it from investigating the plants you mention for their hormonal balancing effect.

According to what I have read already, men do have different issues, or different degrees, with the same post-use-syndroms, and also similar issues with post-use-syndroms from different drugs! Also [mention]Nina[/mention] has mentionned similar crash as men can have, and I have experienced problems after using progesterone and high carb diet with fruits.

No research yet on similarities, but some curiosity is on this forum, to find new protocols! And as protocols would be adapted to context, questioning our similarities among our gender differences look to me as a good route...

I also understand that men in the forum are focused on spending their time usefully for not loosing time on their recovery route. At the same time, [mention]TubZy[/mention] also said he wanted the forum to be wider than specific, thus the name of the forum, about homeostasis in general. And the work is about health through balancing, with focus on minerals, thus the hair analysis, and also the use of diet, fast, plants, exercise and rest...

Of course I asked you first if you had thought about the topic of the hormonal plants on women, as the name of your web is clear, and as I know where you come from. I do have interest in general health of course, but also I do have interest in men, as we are all bound to live together and thus try to understand each other - beyond our differences - and I came to the conclusion at even behavioral levels, that we have more in common than our culture has taught us...

 

[Canari]

Also @Ivy mentioned some interest in hair thinning problems. Understanding why it can also happen in women is interesting for women, but a mutual understanding can lead to better find the differences between different cases, and how we are going to use zinc, as I have seen some clues in the balance zinc / copper, which "just by chance" seem to be related to the balance between estrogens and progesterone!!!

Current problems:
PMS[/B] - blood clotting, thick discharge
veins - feel rubbery, enlarged
skin - dark circles under my eyes
hair - periodic falling out - there's a lot of "white stuff" (like chalk) around the beginning of the follicle. I suspect my scalp is "clogged" with minerals.
fatigue - reluctant to go to bed / fatigued upon waking up
@Integra Can it suggest also some hormonal imbalance?

 

[Canari]

Then I have some former informations that come back to me with some new curiosity and understanding.... As I mentioned before, I remember seeing a documentary about a woman who was dealing with a too strong libido that was causing her some problems in life. The doc was centered on this but I found curious that she had really thinning hair....

Thyroid also has to do with hair, even thinning eyebrows. Some women get extra facial hair after pregnancy. Some women get diabetes after pregnancy.

And I never commonly see that any of those issues are talked along with sexual issues! And of course, sexual problems are usually considered as "psychological", which I do not believe as the most common case after studying the nervous system!

And this theme is the root cause why men have sometimes looked for a long time WHY they had sexual issues, and were not told earlier (if they were not lucky to find a good forum right away) that it was "just" a mineral / hormonal issue coming from an adverse reaction to a drug! And if you talk about SRRI... as this is for anxiety, then it is easy to accuse people of having "psy" problems...

I would also call for a relative of a girl affected by SSRI use at a very young age, if I knew the female approach would have room.

 

[Canari]

Thanks a million [mention]Ewelina[/mention]! I hope you do not mind if I quote you on another topic than where you posted

Thank you!

Back then I lived in Poland and there was this doctor who recommended so called “optimal diet” which was essentially a very high saturated fat and low carbohydrate diet. My main issue then was acne. However, at the same time I was on the pill (for almost 10 years as well, mostly Diane-35), so improvement in my acne could be related to it rather than the diet.

Nonetheless, gbolduev made it clear that Diane-35 is a progestin and now I finally see how my present health problems can be related to it. I thought that my main issue was estrogen dominance, but after all it can be due to dysregulated progesterone receptors (Progest-E makes things better but causes other problems at the same time) and cortisol. So even if I am a woman I can see a lot of useful information in a pfs thread. I was furious when they removed the thread from RPF as I was just reading it! I’m glad that this is the place to learn more about it!

Yes, but if the topic is new for men, it is even more "out of everything" for women!
I am better off progest-e, and my copper issue is I guess linked to progesterone issue, but I have no idea if it is about receptors or what.

I think women balance can shed light on the general problem we have as HUMAN beings dealing with pharmaceuticals and other stuffs that affect at the same time our mineral and hormonal balance.

But it requires that we take gender into account in the protocols and the domino effects of what acts upon hormones.

 

[Walker]

I can speak from my own experience, I have my wife taking the Athena women's formula (the herbs in it, individually, cycled) as well as the newer Dong Quai and Longan Berry, Schisandra tincture, and Kacip, which is the female version of Tongkat Ali, and she's been pretty happy with her results. Much more energy, clear headed, and feels more motivated to do things.

I've always suspected she's had hypothyroidism, so maybe this has helped with that. Just two cents for ya.