Seed Cycling for Hormonal Balance
Have you heard about seed cycling yet?
Funnily enough, I haven’t seen very much about this powerful yet gentle way to balance your hormones on social media. I first heard about this nutritional therapy via one of my professors in medical school, Dr. Dickson Thom. Since then, I’ve used it successfully for myself and many patients. When you have struggled with irregular periods, low libido, PMS, and painful periods, anything that helps is very appreciated! Knowing what we do about flaxseeds and fiber in general, we can see that seed cycling holds a whole host of benefits in addition to influencing our hormones. Let’s explore more, shall we?
What is Seed Cycling and Why Does it Work?
Seed cycling consists of eating specific seeds during specific phases of your menstrual cycle (sorry, people without uteruses, this post is mostly for those who have one!)
When we look at the cyclical nature of the menstrual hormone cycle, we can see natural ebbs and flows of Estrogen and Progesterone, which are the two hormones we focus on with seed cycling. When you begin your bleed this is considered day 1 of your cycle. At this time, Estrogen and Progesterone levels are both low. As the days continue, Estrogen levels rise until they reach their peak a bit before ovulation. This spike of Estrogen triggers the release of Leutenizing hormone (LH) from your pituitary gland which triggers ovulation. I like to think of this as sending out invitations to a party. After ovulation, Estrogen levels decrease gradually. At the same time, Progesterone levels gradually increase prepping the uterine lining for the implantation of a fertilized embryo. Progesterone is like the hostess getting everything ready for any guests. Progesterone peaks around day 21 and then slowly declines if there is no embryo. When both Estrogen and Progesterone reach their low point, you bleed.
The average cycle from bleed to bleed is around 28 days. But this varies, due to many different factors including metabolic disease, polycystic ovarian disease, stress, poor diet, Estrogen/Progesterone imbalance, medications, therapeutic hormone use, and other disease processes. Hormonal birth control pills usually contain both Estrogen and Progesterone except for the placebo week. You will experience a bleed during the placebo week due to the absence of hormones. Birth control pills basically take over the regulation of Estrogen and Progesterone from your body - this can be used to treat different conditions or prevent pregnancy, but it doesn’t come without side effects such as increased risk for blood clots, influences on your moods, disruption of your gut microbiome, depletion of vitamins and minerals such as Magnesium and Vitamin B6, and some less well studied side effects. If you are having issues with your birth control, considering starting or stopping birth control, or just want to learn more, I highly recommend my colleague Dr. Brighten’s book Beyond the Pill.
Okay, back to those seeds!
With seed cycling, we are using the lignans and fats found within to promote our hormone cycling. During the first half of our cycle, we want to modulate Estrogen levels. Here our friend flax is partnered with pumpkin seeds. Remember the amphoteric nature of flax lignans?
If your Estrogen levels are low, flax lignans will bind to Estrogen receptors boosting your estrogenic effect. This can be great with periods that are longer than average with a long slow rise in Estrogen that takes it’s time reaching the level needed to induce Leutenizing Hormone and therefore ovulation.
If your Estrogen levels are high, flax will take up space in Estrogen receptors lowering the estrogenic effect, and they will bind to Estrogen as it’s being excreted by the liver into your intestines, helping you remove it from your body. This can be great for short periods where ovulation is triggered too soon due to Estrogen reaching its triggering threshold rapidly.
For the second half of our cycle, we focus more on Progesterone levels, and we take sesame and sunflower seeds. Here, we aren’t looking at the ligands or fats in the seeds to do this job. Now we are looking for the high levels of zinc found in sesame seeds partnered with the Vitamin E found in sunflower seeds. Both promote the production of Progesterone.
Pretty amazing right? I love how understanding how the body works can help us work with it to balance things out!
How to Cycle Seeds:
There are myriad ways to accomplish this. One can simply grind and eat their seeds directly or mixed with water. You can add the seeds to soups or smoothies. You could grind them into a paste and mix with other nut/seed butters. It is important to grind your seeds as close to when you will eat them as possible, so get creative! I keep an inexpensive electric coffee grinder just for seeds and herbs that does the job splendidly.
My favorite way to eat my seeds is to create a “cereal” that I can simply add hot water too and eat for breakfast. To make it more tasty, I like to stir in 1/2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup, top with applesauce, jam, or yoghurt, or simply add berries.
Before we jump into my recipe and recommended amounts, please remember not to eat flax seeds at the same time you take any medicines. The lignans in flax are great at binding to your medicines, keeping you from getting your full dose. A window of 2 hours before or after taking your medications works well. Also, avoid flax seeds if you have an intestinal obstruction - the fiber will make it worse.
Dosing - 2 Tbsp of each seed daily. Pretty easy, but over time, this can get more difficult. Hence the cereal option.
Days 1-14 cereal:
2 Tbsp fresh ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp fresh ground pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Mix all ingredients together and add 1 cup warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes, stir and eat. I like to add fruit to mine.
Days 15-28 cereal:
This will look familiar.
2 Tbsp fresh ground sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp fresh ground sesame seeds
2 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Mix all ingredients together and add 1 cup warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes, stir and eat. I also like to add fruit to this blend.
If you are crunched for time in the mornings and want to make this cereal ahead of time, you can, but the oils in your seeds will oxidize and you will lose some of the effect. If you do this, I recommend storing your mixes in glass mason jars keeping one in the freezer and the one you are currently using in the refrigerator. You can then set two monthly alarms reminding you when to switch your seeds. Many people use the moon’s cycle to do this and switch seeds at the new and full moons.
1 Quart Jar of Pre-made Seed Cereal:
12 Tbsps each ground seed, chia seeds, coconut flakes
1.5 Tbsp spices of your choice. Cinnamon is great, but I also recommend a blend of cardamom, ginger and turmeric. Choose your favorite flavor profile to boost your digestion and enjoyment.
Some people (myself included) notice positive changes in their mood, bowel movements, acne, breast tenderness, etc. within days. For others, it can take around 3 cycles to notice a difference. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t see results the first month.
Have you tried seed cycling? What effects did you notice if you have?
