PHYTO-ESTROGENS

    I recently read an eye-opening book called “Our Stolen Future” by Theo Colburn.  This book reads something like a “Silent Spring: The Next Generation” as it thoroughly examines and pieces together the newest cutting edge research on the intense reproductive hazards being created by the ongoing, unchecked chemical abuses happening all over the planet. 
   
    While most of the eco-research that has been conducted in recent decades has focused almost exclusively on cancer and carcinogenic agents, Theo Colburn makes a dramatic case for an even more alarming problem—the ability of chemicals to wreak havoc on the endocrine system which governs all of the body’s vital internal processes and guides critical phases of prenatal development.  Cancer is, in proper perspective, symptomatic of a much larger, all-encompassing health crisis. 
  
     These hormone-disrupting chemicals are insidious and ubiquitous, persistent and cumulative.  They are in the air we breathe, the water drink, the food we eat, and the body care products we use.  They leach into foods from plastic packaging and storage containers; they out-gas from synthetic materials used to build and furnish our homes and buildings.  These chemicals are cumulative during the course of a lifetime since many cannot be leached from our bodies but rather store themselves in fatty tissues or circulate as free radicals in our bloodstream. It is estimated that most of us walk around with at least 250 chemical contaminants in our bodies, regardless of where we live.  Even Inuit peoples in some of the most remote polar regions of the world are testing positive for high levels of chemicals that somehow manage to migrate to every corner of the globe.

XENO-ESTROGENS
    The most “popular” of these endocrine disruptors is a class of chemicals known as xeno-estrogens.  These are chemicals that have the ability to bond with estrogen receptor sites in our bodies and literally displace the natural estrogens produced by our bodies.  This is a major cause of hormone imbalances because the true estrogen is blocked from doing its job properly and also because it creates a hyper-estrogen situation—too many estrogens and estrogen-mimicking substances in our bodies.  Of the thousands of environmental chemicals out there, a good many of them are xeno-estrogenic.  Estrogen isn’t the only hormone they mimic, there is plenty of indication that they can mimic progesterone, androgens, thyroid hormones and more, but xeno-estrogens are the most obvious and well-studied at this time.

    Estrogen excess is a very common problem in animals and humans today.  Estrogen excess is being implicated for all sorts of problems, especially concerning, but not limited to, reproductive health.  PMS, infertility, low sperm counts, miscarriage and premature birth, menstrual difficulties, breast, uterine and prostate cancers, and premature puberty are just some of the problems caused by estrogen excess.  Scientists are beginning to link the reproductive abnormalities and failures showing up in our wildlife with xeno-estrogens as well.  

    Theo Colburn takes the research a step farther to show how xeno-estrogens are affecting the most vulnerable population of all—the unborn—by interfering with key developmental stages in utero.  Since they tend to target the reproductive system, many of the defects don’t show up until the children exposed in the womb grow into their childbearing years.  The DES daughters of the 60s and 70s are just one example of this kind of tragedy.  The implications of environmental estrogen’s impact on future generations are disturbing indeed.

SYNTHETIC ESTROGENS
    Not only do we get xeno-estrogens from our air, food, water and environment, but synthetic estrogens are routinely prescribed by health professionals for menarche problems, birth control, menstrual regulators, and especially for menopause symptom relief.   

    Synthetic estrogens are also given in abundance to meat and dairy animals to help fatten them up and stimulate their reproduction and milk production.  We ingest these synthetic estrogens when we eat the meat and drink the milk from these animals.

PHYTO-ESTROGENS
    Yet another source of outside estrogens are phyto-estrogens, plant-based sources of estrogen.  I know from my studies in herbal medicine that herbs that have a reputation for being high in phyto-estrogens are often recommended for helping with hormone imbalances and fertility problems.  There are all kinds of herbal phyto-estrogenic products showing up on the market today—creams, supplements, pills, tinctures and other herbal formulas.   The question herbalists should be asking themselves in light of the increasing exposure to xeno-estrogens in our diet and environment is:  Should we be promoting estrogenic herbs for reproductive health issues?  
  
     I never used to question the use of phyto-estrogenic herbs.  I naively figured that since estrogenic drugs are prescribed by physicians, estrogenic herbs are the healthier, natural alternative to achieve the same ends, and much of the herbal literature seems to reflect this kind of thinking.    The truth is that in an ideal state of health, our bodies produce all the estrogen we need.  We may not need outside sources of estrogen at all to maintain a healthy reproductive system and a proper hormone balance.  It seems that, on the contrary, our biggest concern should be reducing estrogen levels in our bodies.   Deciding how or when to use estrogenic herbs has become something of a conundrum in light of today’s estrogen overdose.  Today it is more important than ever to devote some time to study estrogen and estrogenic herbs in light of these relatively recent findings.  .

    It’s interesting to look at why plants produce estrogen.  It is an intriguing fact of nature that many of the phyto-chemicals produced by plants are not needed by the plants themselves, but seem to work in a symbiotic relationship with the human/animal kingdom, achieving a sort of homeostasis in the web of life.  Others are produced as survival mechanisms, such as toxins and poisons.   It has been suggested that phyto-estrogens are produced by the plant kingdom as a population control device and that the plants are attempting to ensure their own survival by controlling the fertility of their predators through estrogenic compounds, with questionable success.

    Virtually everything we eat -- grains, beans, nuts, seeds, seed oils, berries, fruits, vegetables, and roots -- contains phyto-estrogens.   Some foods have much higher amounts of estrogens than others.  Soybeans, for example, are under the microscope as a major source of phyto-estrogens. 

    Susun Weed in her article “Phyto-estrogens: Friends or Foes” makes a distinction between food, food-like herbs (nutritives) and medicinal herbs.  Most natural foods can be eaten freely in spite of their phyto-estrogenic content, whereas medicinal herbs that contain higher concentrations of estrogenic compounds should be used with caution, for very specific purposes, and for relatively short periods of time.  Some of the popular estrogenic herbs common on the market include black cohosh, chasteberries, dong quai, ginseng, licorice, raspberry leaves, red clover, saw palmetto berries, and wild yam.

    It is important to realize that there is a vast difference between plant-based estrogens and man-made chemicals that mimic estrogens.  As humans, we have co-evolved with the foods and herbs we eat and our bodies are well-adapted to the estrogen inherent in a natural diet.  Phyto-estrogens are easily excreted by the body, unlike chemical xeno-estrogens that persist and accumulate in the body.  Xeno-estrogens have a half life of years or even decades, whereas phtyo-estrogens have a half life of mere hours.

    Phyto-estrogens are considered “weak” estrogens.  The body’s own estrogens will get first dibs on the receptor site over the more passive phyto-estrogens.  However chemical estrogens are the bullies of the crowd and more aggressively insert themselves into the receptor sites.  Some phtyo-estrogens are considered “precursors”, which means that they do not become fully active without being properly metabolized by the body.  Scientists are busy trying to debunk the estrogenic effects of many of these herbs and there is a confusing assortment of scientific findings concerning phyto-estrogens on the internet. 

    The action of phyto-estrogenic herbs is fairly gentle if used properly.  The problems come when the individual estrogens are isolated and removed from the matrix of the whole herb and used to synthesize drugs.  But there are some cautions in using the whole herb as well.  For example, while phyto-estrogenic herbs can help to prevent and protect from cancer, once the cancer is established, they can actually stimulate the growth of the cells.  They can gently suppress fertility, but at the same time stimulate other reproductive processes that are not necessarily desirable. 

    Phyto-estrogenic herbs might be helpful for someone who is trying to wean from HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) or looking for a natural alternative to HRT.  But while we are seeing a slow trend away from prescription estrogens, estrogenic herbs are in increasing demand tend to “fill in the gap”.  It would be more beneficial to be seeking ways to reduce a probable hyper-estrogenic situation, than to be recommending more albeit alternative, natural estrogen.  Obesity, unhealthy diets( excessive dairy and  meat, pesticide residues), ongoing exposure to estrogenic chemicals in the workplace, toxic home environment, body care products, and drinking water, as well as reproductive health issues and cancers are pretty good indicators of estrogen excess.  Unfortunately this describes a lot of people these days.  A little Dong Quai and Red Clover isn’t going to help much and may even contribute to the problem. 

    On the other hand, someone who is conscientious about diet and tries to minimize harmful chemical exposure as much as possible might benefit from hormone balancing therapy in very intentional and specific situations.  Personally, I think a person with a natural foods diet gets plenty of estrogen.

    Progesterone therapy with Wild Yam crèmes is another popular herbal treatment these days for reproductive health issues.  Estrogen and progesterone work together in the body in a set ratio.  When estrogen levels get too high, the ratio gap widens, creating a “hormone imbalance”.  The idea behind the Wild Yam crèmes is that they help to increase the progesterone levels to meet the high estrogen levels and restore the ratio.  I’m not convinced that tampering with progesterone levels is the solution to estrogen excess and am a little suspicious of the herbal progesterone craze.  It makes more sense to try to reduce estrogen exposure to bring about the proper ratio balance.

    I believe that we will hear more and more about the estrogen connection as science continues to monitor this sweeping health crisis and breakthrough research begins to make headlines.  It is important for herbalists to also be progressive in this matter and simultaneously rise to the occasion by dispelling myths and misinformation about estrogenic herbs and what I call ‘fad-busting’.  It is important for all of us to keep our eyes and ears open about these cutting edge issues and to be willing to re-think some of the ‘traditional’, standard or fad remedies on the market.  We must respond appropriately to this unprecedented reproductive health crisis we are facing in these times.  For the sake of our grandchildren, and for all of our relations.