PCOS? There’s A Tea for That …

A Quick Guide on How Tea Can Relieve Some of Your PCOS Symptoms

There are so many ways herbal teas can improve your overall health physically and mentally, but figuring out which tea will help with what symptom? Now that’s the tricky part. I have read a lot of articles where they split it up by the teas, then list what each tea helps with, and I thought “Hey! There’s a better way to do this.” What we need is a quick guide to find the PCOS symptom that we are struggling with and see which teas will help! You will see some types of tea get repeated a lot. Why is that? Because herbal teas have so many amazing healing benefits! They help with more than just one symptom. Let’s dive in!

Sleep

Now sleep in one of the MOST important things for your health. When you start losing sleep everything else starts going downhill. I know how it is you get home, and you’re all wound up from the day. It’s not the best mindset to prepare you for a good night’s sleep. Check out these teas that will help you feel calm, relaxed, and sleepy:

  • Chamomile tea
  • Valerian tea
  • Decaf green tea
  • Lavender tea
  • Lemon Balm tea
  • Passionflower tea

Also check out these delicious bedtime teas: Sleepytime, Bedtime, and Nighty Night. They already have a lot of the different sleep improving teas in them, and you can find them at your local grocery store.

Hirsutism (Excess Facial and Body Hair)

Spearmint tea has long been recommended for decreasing hirsutism, which is a debilitating symptom for many women with PCOS.  Note that it’s specifically spearmint, not peppermint, or generic “mint” tea. I order organic spearmint tea in bulk. You can drink it hot or iced, which is particularly refreshing when it’s warm.  If you don’t love the taste of mint, brew it strong, let it cool down, and swig it quickly to get the health benefits.

Stress/Anxiety

Not only does tea help you calm down and relax, it actually helps reduce stress and anxiety. Teas have a chemical in them called Theanine which enhances production of alpha waves in the brain, this reduces anxiety, lowers cortisol (a stress hormone), boosts creativity, and facilitates a state of relaxed alertness. Check out these teas that will reduce stress and anxiety:

  • Peppermint tea
  • Chamomile tea
  • Lemon balm tea
  • Passionflower tea
  • Decaf green tea

Cramping &Bloating

A lot of women with PCOS have irregular menstrual cycles or no periods at all! But what doesn’t disappear are the other symptoms of your menstrual cycle such as cramping and feeling bloated. Check out these teas that will help relieve the down-under discomfort that comes along with PCOS:

  • Ginger tea
  • Hibiscus tea
  • Lemon Balm tea
  • Chamomile tea
  • Fennel tea
  • Peppermint tea
  • Dandelion Root tea

Energy

When struggling with depression and anxiety, one of the first things they tell you to cut is coffee. Why? Because caffeine is a stimulant that can trigger your “fight or flight” response which makes our anxiety worse. Some of us (myself included!) don’t want to give up on that energy boost we get from our morning cup of coffee, so tea is a fine substitute.

  • Green Tea
  • Yerba Mate
  • Black Tea
  • White Tea

These teas still have caffeine in them, but they also have a chemical called theanine, which can negate some of the unpleasant effects of caffeine. Theanine is an interesting compound, in that it is both stimulating and soothing simultaneously.

Pain & Headaches

Body pain and headaches are other common symptom of PCOS, but who wants to constantly be taking medications that have who knows how many side effects? Not me! Try some of these herbal teas that can help relieve your pain naturally instead:

  • Ginger tea
  • Peppermint tea
  • Willow bark tea
  • Clove tea
  • Feverfew tea
  • Chamomile tea

Acne

Who else has tried dozens of expensive skin products trying to combat the acne and skins problems from PCOS? Instead, try drinking some of these teas! They are packed with antioxidants, immune enhancing, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties that will all help your skin look beautiful.

  • Chamomile tea
  • Jasmine tea
  • Green tea
  • Rooibos (Red Bush Tea)
  • Black tea
  • Dandelion tea
  • Ginger tea
  • Peppermint tea
  • White tea
  • Oolong tea

Infertility

Infertility is, unfortunately, a very common symptom of PCOS, although there are some natural and healthy ways to increase your chances of pregnancy. For starters, one of the most important things when trying to conceive is drinking enough water. Yes, if you’re not keen on water, the water you consume in tea counts toward your daily consumption. Another key component is keeping your stress levels down. Guess what, tea helps with both of these!

  • Dandelion tea will help cleanse the body of toxins.
  • Raspberry leaf tea is a well-known fertility herb that is a great tool when trying to get pregnant but be careful! Raspberry leaf tea is also known for sending women into labor, so once pregnant, avoid drinking this tea till you are ready to meet your new baby!

Also, try adding some Nettle Leaf to your teas. It will help relieve stress and is reputed to increase the strength of your uterus.

Morning Sickness

So, you just got pregnant, you have the worst morning sickness EVER (Don’t worry, that’s actually a good sign for your pregnancy) and you’re not allowed to drink your favorite tea or take baths! Help! Don’t worry, we have a few teas here that will help nausea and still keep you feeling warm and relaxed:

  • Ginger Tea
  • Chamomile tea
  • Peppermint tea
  • Lemon balm tea

References:
Sleep: https://www.tuck.com/teas-improve-sleep/
Stress & Anxiety: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/6-natural-tea-remedies-fo_b_10619928
Cramping & Bloating: https://www.mydomaine.com/teas-for-bloating
https://www.verywellhealth.com/herbs-for-menstrual-cramps-89901
Energy: https://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-pictures/7-surprising-causes-of-anxiety.aspx
https://www.livestrong.com/article/445036-what-kinds-of-tea-gives-you-that-burst-of-energy/
Pain & Headaches: https://www.healthline.com/health/headache-tea#ginger
https://migraineagain.com/most-soothing-teas-when-you-wake-with-a-headache/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/natural-pain-remedies.aspx
Acne: https://helloglow.co/best-tea-for-skin/
Infertility: https://wellnessmama.com/1326/get-pregnant-naturally/
https://wellnessmama.com/1326/get-pregnant-naturally/
Morning Sickness: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/11-home-remedies-to-cure-morning-sickness/articleshow/18748541.cms
Personal communication, Dr. Larkin, December 2016

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