14 Best Teas for PCOS

The best teas for PCOS help reduce symptoms caused by the syndrome. Teas can help reduce inflammation and pain associated with menstruation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a type of hormone imbalance that often affects women of childbearing age. PCOS causes women to experience irregular or extended menstrual cycles or have excess production of male hormone, androgen.

This syndrome may result in the formation of many small follicles in the ovaries. They contain immature eggs that fail to come out on a regular basis. Women with PCOS are at higher risk of developing serious complications like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These could be prevented, though, with early detection and treatment.

PCOS can also cause women to develop hirsutism or too much hair growth on the chest, back and face. This symptom is the result of the ovaries or adrenal glands overproducing androgens. Hirsute women usually suffer poorer self-esteem compared to women without hirsutism. In addition, the suppressive therapy for this condition is expensive, thus not many women can afford it.

Most of the time, PCOS is linked with profound insulin resistance, although stress can also be the main factor behind it. Another possible culprit is general inflammation that occurs in the body. There are different diet and lifestyle changes women can adopt to address PCOS and its symptoms. However, it can be difficult to decide where to start.

One important thing to note is that for a hormone-balancing diet to work, you need to focus on an addition instead of subtraction mindset.

Therefore, if you want to cut sugar consumption, you shouldn’t say to yourself “from now on, I need to stop drinking afternoon coffee”. Instead, tell yourself that “a cup of afternoon tea everyday is all I need”. This way of thinking is expected to support your diet process and make it easier to follow.

But why drinking tea? Because it’s a healthy beverage to include in your daily routine when you have PCOS. Research has proven that various types of tea are good for improving PCOS symptoms. In this post, we have listed those teas so that you can choose one of them easily.

Best Teas For PCOS

Green Tea

Green tea is one of the healthiest and most well-known beverages in the world. It has been used for centuries for healing purposes. Unsurprisingly, the drink is also found to be good for improving PCOS.

According to a study conducted in 2017, taking 500 mg of green tea extract two times a day for 12 weeks could reduce body fat, fasting insulin levels and free testosterone in obese women with PCOS.

There were also animal studies that confirmed the benefits of green tea extract when it comes to PCOS. In one instance, the tea could drastically decrease insulin resistance index and the body weight of rats with the syndrome.

Is it possible to consume 500 mg of green tea in two cups, though? Probably not. You would need a minimum of 64 oz (or 8 cups) daily to be on that level.

In total, the amount you would require to take is roughly 128 oz (or 16 cups) daily to achieve the therapeutic dose for human. And that’s not so realistic when you think about it.

The only reasonable way to reach that dose is by taking green tea and its extract supplement at the same time, which is doable for most people.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is known for its ability to calm nerves and reduce anxiety. It can help you wind down and relax. These effects are beneficial for women with PCOS, since they tend to be emotional at times.

As you probably know, negative emotions can have negative impacts on your health. This is where chamomile tea comes in, giving your body and mind the calming and relaxing effects they need during the period of your mood instability.

Peppermint Tea

Women with PCOS usually have an irregular cycle of periods or miss periods. Meanwhile, other signs of a normal menstruation like bloating and cramps in the lower abdomen will remain.

Peppermint packs soothing and purifying properties that can alleviate the aforementioned symptoms. It also has antioxidant and antibacterial properties to aid your digestive system.

Oolong Tea

Using Camellia sinensis leaves as its ingredients, the oolong tea is packed with antioxidants, immune-supporting effects, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Drinking this tea can bring many benefits to your body. It will allow you to get glowing skin, as well as less acne and pimples, which are a clear sign of PCOS.

Ginger Basil Tea

Basil has shown the ability to keep androgens under control, in addition to stabilizing insulin levels. As a strong antioxidant, ginger can help balance female hormones.

The spice is widely known for its anti-inflammatory effects and is often used to treat nausea. Ginger is also good for controlling cramps, headaches and rapid changes in mood.

Lavender Tea

Drinking lavender tea gives calming effects to your body and mind, as it keeps anxiety and depression at bay. It also promotes stress relief, good mood and quality sleep, in addition to easing abdominal discomfort related to PCOS.

Some women with PCOS may experience sleep disturbances and disorders. With lavender’s soothing effect, however, such issues can be dealt with effectively. The tea will make you relax and sleep better.

Spearmint Tea

When it comes to PCOS remedies, spearmint tea can be your great drink, especially when you’re having high testosterone levels and related symptoms such as hirsutism or unwelcomed hair growth on your body or face.

According to studies, spearmint tea can reduce levels of free testosterone in the bloodstream and boost estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in women with PCOS.

Thanks to its testosterone-inhibiting ability, spearmint tea can assist your body in bringing back the growth and development of ovarian follicles as well as stimulate ovulation.

If you experience hirsutism, increased testosterone, or ovulating problems, you can drink spearmint tea every day to help improve your condition.

In a one-month randomized control trial, 41 patients with PCOS were randomized to take either spearmint tea or a placebo herbal tea two times a day.

The results showed that those who drank spearmint tea saw a decrease in total testosterone levels during the course of the trial.

There was a different study that took place in 2007, which involves a number of hirsute women who drank spearmint tea twice a day for 5 days during the first half of their menstrual periods. It resulted in a drastic reduction of their free testosterone levels.

However, there was no serious decrease in total testosterone or dehydroepiandrostenedione-sulphate in the blood. More studies are necessary, since the ones already done were too short and involved insufficient number of samples.

Licorice Root Tea

Licorice root tea is a powerful herbal tea you can drink to improve PCOS. Research showed that several women aged between 22 and 26 saw a decrease in serum testosterone levels following an everyday intake of licorice for two menstrual periods.

However, their testosterone went back to the levels before treatment when they stopped taking the herb. High testosterone levels can bring about PCOS symptoms such as acne and hirsutism.

Another benefit of licorice is that it can help you increase cortisol levels or blood pressure, but you shouldn’t drink more than a cup of its tea daily since that would potentially cause high blood pressure.

White Peony Tea

White peony packs glycosides, which are made up of a carbohydrate and a nonglucidic compound. It also includes paeoniflorin, a compound known for its ability to low serum testosterone levels.

It converts testosterone into estrogen. In a study that involves 34 women with PCOS, a combination of white peony and licorice was put to test. The formula was called TJ-68, and it was consumed by the participants.

It managed to drastically reduce their serum testosterone levels. A different trial of 8 women with increased androgen also showed comparable results.

So, when you mix white peony and licorice, you get an amazing herbal tea with testosterone inhibiting ability that can help you decrease the effects of PCOS.

Nettle Tea

Nettle, sometimes also called urtica dioica or stinging nettle, is an effective herbal tea for relieving PCOS symptoms. It’s all thanks to its testosterone reducing, blood sugar lowering and anti-inflammatory properties.

This has been confirmed by a study on 40 women with high androgen levels. After drinking the tea, they saw a serious decrease in their unbound and total testosterone levels.

Nettle’s testosterone reducing effect allows it to cut androgen levels and treat PCOS-linked symptoms such as hirsutism, acne, and hair loss.

Dandelion Root Tea

Dandelion root is one of the most beneficial teas for the liver. It can improve many symptoms of PCOS by removing excessive accumulation of hormones in the liver.

By drinking dandelion root tea, you’re helping your liver detox itself properly. This effect makes the tea a great herbal for women with PCOS.

Since your liver constantly transforms and get rid of excess hormones from your body, if it can’t do the job as well as it should, it could potentially reabsorb and reprocess your hormones, which would lead to an increase in estrogen or testosterone.

Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon tea is an excellent beverage for those who want to low their blood sugar levels. But more than that, it can also help women with PCOS.

If you have high insulin or blood sugar levels, cinnamon tea is the beverage you want to drink every day.

A study participated by 45 PCOS patients was conducted to compare cinnamon supplements to a placebo for half a year.

17 women who finished the study were found to have more frequent menstrual periods in the cinnamon group. In addition, serum progesterone levels across luteal phase confirmed ovulatory cycles.

In a different trial of 15 patients with PCOS, two random groups were formed, namely cinnamon and placebo. The former saw a drastic decrease in insulin resistance after 8 weeks.

More evidence has been found in a randomized controlled clinical trial that women who took cinnamon supplements had more frequent menstrual cycles.

Such supplements may also be a great option for those who want to treat PCOS. Cinnamon’s ability to improve the syndrome could as well affect insulin sensitivity in a positive way.

All in all, cinnamon is an exceptional herbal tea for women. It can boost fertility, improve PCOS, accelerate weight loss and regulate menstrual periods.

Chasteberry Tea

Chasteberry, also known as vitex, castus agnus, or chaste tree, is widely used to ease premenstrual symptoms, balance female hormones, and treat PCOS. The herb is available in two common forms: tea and capsules.

Chasteberry is believed to be able to restrain prolactin production in the anterior pituitary gland. Women with PCOS may have high prolactin levels, which can lead to infertility. They can also experience irregular periods and short cycles as the symptoms of low progesterone.

Drinking chasteberry tea can provide a fix to the above imbalances, thus regulating the cycle, induce ovulation, and boost progesterone.

Red Reishi Tea

Red Reishi has been used for generations as an adaptogen to improve the immune system and the body’s ability to fight stress.

Thanks to its anti-androgenic properties, the mushroom can help reduce androgens like testosterone, thus allowing it to relieve the symptoms that come along with PCOS.

In a study that tested the efficacy of mushrooms in inhibiting androgens, out of 19 species, reishi was found to be the most effective.

Red reishi has demonstrated the ability to lower the enzyme 5α-Reductase, which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Elevated DHT levels are often linked with issues like hair loss and acne.

Conclusion

Various herbal tea options are available for women with PCOS. These teas can help minimize symptoms and bring hormones back into balance.

In this article, we have mentioned many tea variants that are good for PCOS. But since every body is different, it’s up to you to decide which one fits the bill.

In the end, you should remember that when you want to decrease testosterone, you should focus on normalizing blood sugar and reducing inflammation. That way you will be on the right track for healthy testosterone levels.