10-03-2011, 02:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-03-2011, 09:56 AM by surferjoe2007.)
There are many anecdotal reports on results or lack thereof from various herbal substances. I'd be curious to get 10 or more people to try some and see how many get results, how much and after how long. For the mix below I've tried to select the herbs most commonly used with success and/or the most studied herbs for each of 4 hormones, to maximize the chance of success.
The herb mix (per day):
6g (~2 tsp) fenugreek powder (increases prolactin production, unregulates all hormone production)
10mL (2 tsp.) flax oil (mimics estrogen)
3g (~1 tsp.) dong quai powder (increases progesterone production)
2g (~2/3 tsp.) saw palmetto powder (reduces testosterone)
Take powder in water or juice. Take oil straight, dividing into smaller doses at different times of the day if you get stomach problems. If you don't want to smell like maple syrup then try 6g fennel seed + 3g maca in place of the fenugreek. I don't know if this is the same, better or worse.
16 week supply:
672g (~1 pound, 8 oz.) fenugreek powder.
1.12 L (~40 oz.) flax oil
336g (~12 oz. or 3/4 lb.) dong quai powder.
224g (~8 oz.) saw palmetto powder
You can get the herb powders at www.mountainroseherbs.com for about $50 including shipping. It's a cheap and reputable site. Or try one of the sites listed in these forums. Most health food stores carry flax oil. I've seen it at $30 for 32 oz. Given the cost of fish oil or fish to get your essential omega 3's that you need anyway, this still doesn't cost you much overall.
Participants, please take measurements under the breast and around the thickest part each week for 16 weeks, rounding to the nearest 1/4" or 0.5 cm. Record body weight as well, or at least give a percentage of your original weight if you don't want to give your weight. Please note any substitutions, such as fennel and maca. If you stop early please give your partial results. I'll compile the results into a single post.
Warnings: The herbal substances affect your hormones. Thus these might interfere with the birth control pill, teenage development, pregnancy or nursing. If in doubt, I wouldn't take chances, or I'd at least learn more first. As for cancer, however, all studies thus far demonstrate cancer fighting activity, with none showing the opposite. I'll be happy to any questions I can or elaborate on the reasoning behind anything you wish.
Why it works:
The way breasts grow normally is from hormones, and the way herbs work is to imitate these hormones. But unlike the real thing they tend to be weaker. They may even compete with the real thing and thus combat an excess. Thus while there is a theoretical fear of increased cancer risk, no study so far has shown an increase in cancer risk and some studies have shown promise for a decrease in cancer rates. For example flax has a large number of studies showing cancer inhibition.
The two hormones required for growth are estrogen and progesterone. Most products are a mix of phytoestrogens which means they can only work if the body already has sufficient progesterone. Prolactin also grows the milk ducts. It can also cause milk secretion but only in the absence of progesterone. Some other substances work indirectly to increase the body's production or sensitivity of hormones or unregulate hormone production, which may be useful to keep the body from decreasing its own production and to increase it instead.
I selected the most popular substances for each hormone. They frequently get talked about in forums and other online discussions. Many users had good results, but others did not. Perhaps 50:50 on each individual herb and a cup size or two.
Fenugreek increases prolactin production and unregulates general hormone production. Flax is a phytoestrogen (estrogen imitator). Dong quai shift's the bodies hormone production towards progesterone. The amounts selected are based mostly on various studies I found, and a little bit according to users. As an added bonus the fenugreek provides 20% of your daily iron and the flax provides all of your omega 3 requirement for heart health, which otherwise almost always must come from fish. Saw palmetto blocks testosterone, which may fight against estrogen.
Fennel replaces the first function of fenugreek (prolactin) and maca works similarly on the second. I'm not sure if maca and fenugreek work the same way, so I don't know whether taking both would be beneficial or redundant, or if one is better than the other. But for now I'll make a guess and say to take only one or the other. There are warnings about the safety of taking fennel oil internally, but these all point to an amount of 1 teaspoon, which is ridiculously high. That's about as easy as eating a teaspoon of chili powder. Fennel oil is commonly used internally for stomach problems without any danger. A typical dosage is 1-6 drops.
The herb mix (per day):
6g (~2 tsp) fenugreek powder (increases prolactin production, unregulates all hormone production)
10mL (2 tsp.) flax oil (mimics estrogen)
3g (~1 tsp.) dong quai powder (increases progesterone production)
2g (~2/3 tsp.) saw palmetto powder (reduces testosterone)
Take powder in water or juice. Take oil straight, dividing into smaller doses at different times of the day if you get stomach problems. If you don't want to smell like maple syrup then try 6g fennel seed + 3g maca in place of the fenugreek. I don't know if this is the same, better or worse.
16 week supply:
672g (~1 pound, 8 oz.) fenugreek powder.
1.12 L (~40 oz.) flax oil
336g (~12 oz. or 3/4 lb.) dong quai powder.
224g (~8 oz.) saw palmetto powder
You can get the herb powders at www.mountainroseherbs.com for about $50 including shipping. It's a cheap and reputable site. Or try one of the sites listed in these forums. Most health food stores carry flax oil. I've seen it at $30 for 32 oz. Given the cost of fish oil or fish to get your essential omega 3's that you need anyway, this still doesn't cost you much overall.
Participants, please take measurements under the breast and around the thickest part each week for 16 weeks, rounding to the nearest 1/4" or 0.5 cm. Record body weight as well, or at least give a percentage of your original weight if you don't want to give your weight. Please note any substitutions, such as fennel and maca. If you stop early please give your partial results. I'll compile the results into a single post.
Warnings: The herbal substances affect your hormones. Thus these might interfere with the birth control pill, teenage development, pregnancy or nursing. If in doubt, I wouldn't take chances, or I'd at least learn more first. As for cancer, however, all studies thus far demonstrate cancer fighting activity, with none showing the opposite. I'll be happy to any questions I can or elaborate on the reasoning behind anything you wish.
Why it works:
The way breasts grow normally is from hormones, and the way herbs work is to imitate these hormones. But unlike the real thing they tend to be weaker. They may even compete with the real thing and thus combat an excess. Thus while there is a theoretical fear of increased cancer risk, no study so far has shown an increase in cancer risk and some studies have shown promise for a decrease in cancer rates. For example flax has a large number of studies showing cancer inhibition.
The two hormones required for growth are estrogen and progesterone. Most products are a mix of phytoestrogens which means they can only work if the body already has sufficient progesterone. Prolactin also grows the milk ducts. It can also cause milk secretion but only in the absence of progesterone. Some other substances work indirectly to increase the body's production or sensitivity of hormones or unregulate hormone production, which may be useful to keep the body from decreasing its own production and to increase it instead.
I selected the most popular substances for each hormone. They frequently get talked about in forums and other online discussions. Many users had good results, but others did not. Perhaps 50:50 on each individual herb and a cup size or two.
Fenugreek increases prolactin production and unregulates general hormone production. Flax is a phytoestrogen (estrogen imitator). Dong quai shift's the bodies hormone production towards progesterone. The amounts selected are based mostly on various studies I found, and a little bit according to users. As an added bonus the fenugreek provides 20% of your daily iron and the flax provides all of your omega 3 requirement for heart health, which otherwise almost always must come from fish. Saw palmetto blocks testosterone, which may fight against estrogen.
Fennel replaces the first function of fenugreek (prolactin) and maca works similarly on the second. I'm not sure if maca and fenugreek work the same way, so I don't know whether taking both would be beneficial or redundant, or if one is better than the other. But for now I'll make a guess and say to take only one or the other. There are warnings about the safety of taking fennel oil internally, but these all point to an amount of 1 teaspoon, which is ridiculously high. That's about as easy as eating a teaspoon of chili powder. Fennel oil is commonly used internally for stomach problems without any danger. A typical dosage is 1-6 drops.
