Estrogen-Lowering Herbs

"One of the biggest reasons that women get into trouble with breast
cancer is that they have too much estrogen floating around in their
bodies," says Dr. Brett.

One way to reduce free-floating estrogen is by following the dietary
guidelines for breast cancer prevention mentioned earlier. In addition,
Dr. Brett notes, there are some natural substances that will help to
reduce estrogen levels. Your key allies are called phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens are simply the estrogens that occur naturally in plants.
When you eat fruits and vegetables that contain those compounds, they
act as a weak form of estrogen in your body. A woman's cells have
specific receptor sites that are prepared to accept estrogen, and when
the phytoestrogens come by, they move into those sites, taking the
place of the body's estrogens. Because the phytoestrogens have taken
the receptor spots, your body's much stronger estrogen has nowhere to
go and is excreted as waste.

Researchers at the Royal Hospital for Women in New South Wales,
Australia, reviewed all the studies conducted between 1980 and 1995
concerning the effect of phytoestrogens. They concluded that phyto
estrogens were among the factors that protect vegetarians against
breast cancer.

One of the most powerful phytoestrogens is soy. Women in Asian
countries who consume a lot of soy products have much lower rates of
breast cancer than women who eat a Western diet. Researchers have
observed that rates of breast cancer among Asian women increase
significantly when those women switch from an oriental to a Western
diet.

Eating foods like tofu that are made with soy is a great idea, but if
you're not fond of them, you can try taking genistein capsules, says
Dr. Brett. Genistein is believed to be one of the active ingredients in
soy, and as such, it can impart some of the same estrogen-reducing
benefits.

Even better, genistein can prevent tumors from getting a foothold.
Tumors need blood to grow. To get that blood, they send out biochemical
signals that trick the body into building blood vessels to supply them.
If you can stop a tumor from getting blood, it will starve and die.
Genistein is believed to be capable of stopping blood vessels that
supply tumors from being produced.

If you decide to try genistein, you can find it as a supplement in
health food stores. A typical dose is 45 milligrams a day.

Red clover and black cohosh are two herbs that are also phytoestrogens
that work to reduce potentially dangerous levels of estrogen.

"Red clover is an old, old cancer remedy," says Matthew Wood, a
professional member of the American Herbalists Guild in Minnetrista,
Minnesota, and author of The Book of Herbal Wisdom. "It works to break
down tumors and keep cancer from spreading. Like soy, red clover
contains genistein."

If you are taking a number of different supplements to help prevent
cancer, follow the directions on the labels of the products you buy,
says Dr. Brett. A typical dose for black cohosh, for instance, is 40
milligrams twice a day.

The Power of Red Clover

Red clover not only contains vitamins and minerals, it may also have
some power to balance the female hormone estrogen. "I think we're
going to be hearing a lot about red clover in the coming years," says
Jennifer Brett, N.D., a naturopathic doctor at the Wilton Naturopathic
Center in Stratford, Connecticut.

Among the important vitamins and minerals that red clover offers are
vita mins B and C, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Because it can
help balance estrogen, this herb is widely recommended for treating
menstrual and menopausal problems. This capability also makes it a
prime choice for women who are looking to prevent breast cancer, Dr.
Brett says. It should never be taken during pregnancy, however.

Herbalists have found many other uses for red clover. It's one of the
best alternative remedies for eczema and psoriasis in children, they
say. Because it can help relax nerves, it's a good treatment for
bronchitis, asthma, and whooping cough-conditions that can be
relieved to an extent by relaxing the breathing muscles.

The use of red clover dates back centuries. The Chinese used the sap to
help treat colds and influenza. It was a popular remedy in England and
Germany and came with the American colonists when they immigrated from
those countries.

On the American continent, it was taken up by many Native American
tribes, including the Iroquois and Cherokee, who began using it to ease
the discomforts of menopause. At the beginning of the twentieth
century, it was often brewed into a tea to relieve spasmodic coughing
and had a reputation as a "blood purifier." In Mennonite
communities today, red clover is still widely used to relieve croup and
whooping cough.

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/73.cfm

Name: Fennel
Biological Name: Foeniculum vulgare

Umbelliferae
Other Names: Large fennel, sweet fennel, wild fennel, finocchio,
carosella, Florence fennel, Fennel
Parts Used: root, seed
Active Compounds:

The main active constituents, which includes the terpenoid anethole,
are found in the volatile oil. Anethole and other terpenoids may have
estrogen-like activity and inhibit spasms in smooth muscles, such as
those in the intestinal tract. Recent studies have found fennel to
possess diuretic, choleretic
http://www.holistic-online.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h55.htm

although, apples seem to contain estrogen.
I need to do more reading on these issues.

Perl von Molson

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/estdep.htm

You were babbling about phytoestrogens back in February, Perlie.

In fact, on February 25th you said, "Fennel contains
phytoestrogens".

?

Mike