about herbal teas.
Herbal teas have become widespread the last years, you don't have to go to a specialised store any more, you can just buy them in a supermarket.
They are sometimes promoted as a healthier alternative to "real" tea as they contain no caffeine. While they can offer some health benefits, there are also things you should be warned about, namely, that they can influence your estrogen, just like soy.
We all know that your estrogen/progesterone levels can be affected by caffeinated drinks, but it's also true about herbal substitutes.
A funny thing is that we often talk about "soyboys", but research shows that men seldom suffer from side effects of these drinks/supplements, while in women, and especially older women in can contrubute to severe hormone imbalance/estrogen dominance.
For instance, one of the most popular teat substitutes is rooibos/red bush tea. While it can boost sperm counts, it can also increase estrogen to very unhealthy levels.
The same is true about licorice, another popular tea substitute, and hops, which are a component of some sleep aid herbal combinations.
Dandelion tea has been widely promoted as a means to balance your hormones naturally, but it has estrogenic activity, too. It can also lower your blood sugar. The same is true about milk thistle.
Granted, for many people it won't be a problem, and they can experience many positive effects from these drinks, but it's good to know that there also could be some drawbacks connected to their use. Apparently, the effects can also vary from woman to woman. Thus red raspberry tea can be both progesterone- and estrogen boosting, which is rather confusing, so you probably should approach it individually, as in what works for you.
It could probably be helpful to search for info before one starts taking a new herbal tea.
P.S. There is research which indicates that green tea, nettle root (not sure if the tea has the same benefits) and possibly chamomile tea can reduce or block estrogen. Just so you know...
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