Phytoestrogens - Friends or Foes?
Can Plant Hormones Help Women in Menopause?
Do They Affect Breast Cancer?
By Susun Weed, 2002
are weak hormones found in many plants. They are currently being promoted, sometimes
in highly refined forms, for relief of the symptoms of menopause. Are they safe?
Can they promote breast cancer?
We know that increased exposure to hormones
-- such as those used in the cattle industry, those given to women during menopause,
those taken by women engaged in hi-tech pregnancy efforts, and even those naturally
produced by our own bodies -- increases our risk of being diagnosed with cancer,
especially breast cancer. And many believe that hormone-like chemicals -- xenoestrogens
-- increasingly found in our food and water, contribute to cancer as well. Doesn't
that imply that phytoestrogens will increase cancer risk too?
everything we eat -- grains, beans, nuts, seeds, seed oils, berries, fruits, vegetables,
and roots -- contains phytoestrogens. Scientists measuring the amount of phytoestrogen
break-down by-products in the urine of healthy women found that those with the
least were four times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than with
the most. Phytoestrogens actually appear to protect tissues from the cancer-causing
effects of xenoestrogens and other hormonal pollutants..
seems simple -- eat more phytoestrogens, be healthier -- and it is, so long as
we restrict ourselves to eating plants. But when the difference between food
and medicine is disregarded, when phytoestrogens are isolated and concentrated,
sold to us in pills and candy bars, then the equation changes: phytoestrogens
become dangerous hormones, quite capable of promoting cancer.
the greatest benefit from phytoestrogenic foods and herbs remember:
phytoestrogens are not as safe as those "in matrix."
2. To make
use of plant hormones, you need active, healthy gut flora.
3. Herbs and foods
rich in phytoestrogens need to be used in different ways.
may have different effects on women who do not have their ovaries.
contain many types of phytoestrogens; additionally, they contain minerals and
other constituents which help our bodies modify the phytoestrogens and so we can
use them safely. Red clover, for instance, is mineral-rich and contains all four
of the major types of phytoestrogens: lignans, coumestans, isoflavones, and resorcylic
acid lactones. It is the world's best-known anti-cancer herb. In general, foods
and herbs rich in phytoestrogens, with the possible exception of licorice, show
anti-cancer abilities. Isoflavone, however, when isolated (usually from soy) has
the opposite effect: In the lab it encourages the growth of breast cancer cells.
(endnote 32 in New Menopausal Years).
2. Plant hormones, including most
phytoestrogens, can't be used by humans. But we can convert them into ones we
can use -- with the help of our gut bacteria. When women take antibiotics, their
excretion of phytoestrogens plummets. Get your gut flora going by eating more
yogurt, miso, unpasteurized sauerkraut, homemade beers and wines, picked-by-your-own-hands-and-unwashed
fruits and salads, sourdough bread, and whey-fermented vegetables. (See Nourishing
Traditions by Sally Fallon for whey-fermented vegetable recipes.)
which are exceptionally rich in phytoestrogens are regarded as powerful herbal
medicines. Plants which are good sources of phytoestrogens are regarded as foods.
While food can certainly be our medicine -- a practice I advocate -- it is also
true that medicines are more dangerous than foods. Foods rich in phytoestrogens
are different than medicinal herbs rich in phytoestrogens. They have different
places in my life.
² I eat phytoestrogenic foods daily in quantity.
² I use phytoestrogenic food-like herbs regularly but not daily and in moderate
² I take phytoestrogenic herbs rarely, usually in small amounts
and for a limited time.
Phytoestrogenic foods are the basis for a healthy
diet and a long life. The first food listed is the highest in phytoestrogens.
The best diet contains not just one but many choices from each list:
Whole grains (rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, wheat, corn)
seeds (buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa)
(yellow split peas, black turtle beans, baby limas, Anasazi beans, red kidney
beans, red lentils, soy beans)
² Leafy greens and seaweed (parsley, nettle,
kelp, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lamb's quarter)
² Fruits (olives,
cherries, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries,
salmon berries, apricots, crab apples, quinces, rosehips, blueberries)
Olive oil and seed oils
² Garlic, onions and their relatives leeks, chives,
scallions, ramps, shallot
The exceptions to the rule that plants don't contain
² French beans, rice, apple seeds, licorice, and pomegranate
seeds contain the "weak" estrogen estrone.
herbs are generally considered longevity tonics. For optimum effect, use only
one from the list below and to stick with it for at least three months. Citrus
peel, dandelion leaves and/or roots, fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, green tea, hops,
red clover, red wine.
Phytoestrogenic herbs are usually too powerful for
long-term use. From the list below (which is in alphabetical order), it is safest
to use only one herb at a time, and use it only when needed, although that may
mean daily use for several months. More information about these herbs, including
specific dosages and cautions, is in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.
root, black cohosh root, black currant, black haw, chasteberries, cramp bark,
dong quai root, devil's club root, false unicorn root, ginseng root, groundsel
herb, licorice, liferoot herb, motherwort herb, peony root, raspberry leaves,
rose family plants (most parts), sage leaves, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto
berried, wild yam root, yarrow blossoms.
4. Most of the warnings about
phytoestrogenic herbs center on their proven ability to thicken the uterine wall
in animals who have had their ovaries removed. This could encourage cancer, just
as taking ERT encourages cancer of the uterus by stimulating cell growth.. Women
without ovaries are probably safe eating phytoestrogenic foods, but may want to
use phytoestrogenic herbs -- especially ginseng, dong quai, licorice, red clover,
and wild yam -- in small amounts and only for short periods.
can be our friends. In a world that seems increasingly hostile and threatening,
green allies offer us ways to stay safe and healthy, so long as we use them with
wisdom and honor.
copyright 2002, Susun S. Weed, reprinted
here with express authorization from the author. This article is based on information
in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available from www.ashtreepublishing.com
Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact susan Weed
Susun Weed's books include:
Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing
Year Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth,
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Wise Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode.
Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and
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Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way Author: Susun S. Weed. The best book
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Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD. Foreword by Juliette
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Breast Cancer? Breast Health! Author: Susun S. Weed. Foods,
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Menopause Myths and Facts -- and much more
August 4, 2010
call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a
- Rebecca West
Feminist Women's Health Center