Tea - Toxing for Health and Hormone Balance

  

Tea Detox - herbal tea

 

Maybe you’d like to detox and cleanse with something different. Here is an option: a tea-tox. Basically, it involves drinking herbal tea - one of the world's most popular beverages.

Tea-toxing is aggressive, so I suggest trying it for only one day, two at the most, depending on how you feel.

So - why a tea tox?

It is a somewhat gentler form of fasting - something most women in my programs embrace as a proven strategy for weight loss, weight maintenance, and hormone balance. I have been practicing fasting for years now and view it as part of my ongoing commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Fasting has also been shown to improve “biomarkers,” those biological indicators of our medical state – things like blood pressure and cholesterol and glucose levels that might signal how susceptible we are to problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and breast cancer.

Fasting can also increase metabolic function, improve insulin sensitivity reduce oxidative stress, tame cravings, and help you become a more-efficient fat burner. It also can improve mental health around menopause and lessen anxiety and depression. What’s more, fasting supports a process called autophagy, the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. It takes this name from the fact that “phagy” means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating.”

So let’s get down to the basics of tea-toxing. Some steps to success:

  1. Refrain from alcohol or coffee. Limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong. Fasting accelerates this process, speeds up the detoxifying of the body alcohol, and heals damaged cells.

    Love your morning cup of joe? Me too! But too many cups could be worsening your menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes Too much caffeine also triggers an upswing in cortisol and other stress hormones, which has a weight gain effect.

  2. Spike your tea. Add a few drops of edible essential oils. They have additional benefits. Some examples:
    • Lemon essential oil, lime essential oil, grapefruit essential oil for a fat burning drink.
    • Bergamot oil for sleep, depression, or anxiety.
    • Clove oil for brain fog and memory.
    • Ginger or basil oil for digestive health.

  3. Choose your teas. Focus on nutritious teas that have a healthy and balancing influence. Certain herbs may help balance your hormones, and herbal teas made with them are a great way to reap the benefits. You’ll want to select your teas based on your symptoms. Choose 3 or 4 for your tea tox. The chart below lists these teas, and I cover these in my new book MenuPause.

Top Botanical Teas for Menopause

Tea:

How It Works:

Best For Treating:

Black Cohosh

Works on serotonin in the body

Estrogen imbalance, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness

Chamomile

Contains flavonoids that are responsible for the medicinal benefits of the tea

Poor sleep quality, menstrual pain, blood sugar control, osteoporosis, and inflammation

Chasteberry

Contains flavonoids that can influence certain hormone levels in your body especially prolactin, progesterone, and to a certain extent, estrogen.

Premenstrual symptoms, particularly breast pain and soreness; and menopausal symptoms

Cranberry

Anti-bacterial

Urinary tract infections

Dong Quai

Anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic

Estrogen imbalance, cramps, and menopausal pelvic pain

Elderberry

Contains an antioxidant called anthocyanin that clears the body of free radicals. It also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

Constipation, colds, flu, and pain

Ginger

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory

Nausea, bloating, and gastrointestinal discomfort

Ginseng

An adaptogen that helps the body handle stress

Fatigue, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and hair loss

Green tea

High in phytonutrients

Fatigue and weight gain

Maca root

High in phytoestrogens, which exert a weak estrogen effect

Libido, fatigue, and other menopausal symptoms

Milk thistle

High in phytoestrogens, which exert a weak estrogen effect; antioxidant

Liver detoxification

Mint

High in antioxidants

Digestive issues, concentration, headaches, and hormone imbalances

Passion Flower

Sedative

Sleep disorders, night sweats, and anxiety

Red Clover

High in phytoestrogens, which exert a weak estrogen effect

Estrogen imbalance, night sweats, hot flashes, bone density, high blood pressure, and immunity; and may protect against breast cancer

Red Raspberry Leaf

Contains fragarine, a plant compound that helps tone and tighten muscles in the pelvic area, which may reduce the menstrual cramping caused by the spasms of these muscles

Perimenopause symptoms, heavy menstrual flow, and various menopause symptoms

Rosemary

High in antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory compounds

Blood sugar control, mood, memory, and brain fog

Valerian

Sedative, anti-spasmodic

Depression, mood swings, insomnia, and anxiety

Source: Dietz, B.M., et al. 2016. Botanicals and Their Bioactive Phytochemicals for Women’s Health. Pharmacological Reviews 68: 1026–1073.

Enjoy your tea throughout the day. Here is an example of when to have your tea.

Breakfast

Raspberry Leaf Tea OR any tea of choice – 1 to 2 cups

Mid-Morning

Green Tea OR any tea of choice – 1 to 2 cups

Lunch

Chasteberry Tea OR any tea of choice

Mid-Afternoon

Green Tea OR any tea of choice – 1 to 2 cups

Dinner

Mint Tea OR any tea of choice – 1 to 2 cups

Try this tea tox for a day. If you feel good, repeat it a second day. But stay on a tea tox no longer than 2 days in a row. Also, it’s fine to do a tea tox like this several times a year. As for the teas I recommend, enjoy them any time!

The chart above lists these teas, and I cover these in my new book MenuPause™.

A Tea-tox is just one of the many strategies I recommend in my new book, MenuPause to overcome a weight loss plateau, reduce hot flashes, night sweats and brain fog. Order your copy of MenuPause™, and get these FREE gifts: 

  • 6-Day Plans at a glance
  • 6-Day Daily Journal
  • Meal Plans and Servings
  • MenuPause Cooking series
  • Batch Cooking Plan
  • Recipe list at a glance
  • Plus $20 Off in The Girlfriend Doctor Store
Back to blog
1 of 3
Dr. Anna Cabeca

Dr. Anna Cabeca

Certified OB/GYN, Anti-Aging and Integrative Medicine expert and founder of The Girlfriend Doctor. During Dr. Anna’s health journey, she turned to research to create products to help thousands of women through menopause, hormones, and sexual health. She is the author of best-selling The Hormone Fix, and Keto-Green 16 and MenuPause.

Learn more about my scientific advisory board.