Ayurvedic Herbs for Hormonal Balance

Asparagus racemosus Willd. · Shatavari, Shatamuli, Bahusuta, Indivari, Vari, Dvipika · Part used: Tuberous roots (primary — fleshy, fasciculated root tubers, 30–100 cm long, 1–2 cm diameter); leaves and stems used in some regional folk preparations. Roots harvested in autumn when alkaloidA class of naturally occurring, often bitter-tasting plant compounds that frequently have strong effects on the body — caffeine and morphine are both examples of alkaloids. and saponinA plant compound that forms a soap-like foam when mixed with water — found in many adaptogenic herbs and traditionally associated with a range of effects on the body. content is highest. Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) Part I Volume I specifies roots as the official part.

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal · Ashvagandha, Vajikari, Balada, Kushtagandhi, Varahakarni · Part used: Root (primary — all major clinical trials use root extractA concentrated preparation made by pulling the active compounds out of a raw herb, usually using water, alcohol, or another solvent — generally stronger, dose-for-dose, than the raw plant material.; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Part I Volume I specifies root as official part); leaf (used in some commercial extracts, withanolide content differs from root); berry (folk use only, insufficient clinical data)

Trigonella foenum-graecum L. · Methika, Methi, Kunchika, Bahupatra, Chandrika, Deepani · Part used: Seed (dried mature seed — the primary part used in essentially all clinical trials and standardised extracts). Leaves (fresh and dried, called Methi leaves or Kasuri Methi — used extensively as a food/vegetable across South Asian cuisine, with a different and much less studied phytochemicalAny naturally occurring chemical compound found in a plant — some phytochemicals are believed to have health effects, though not all have been well studied. emphasis than the seed). API (Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India) specifies the dried mature seed as the official medicinal part.

Berberis aristata DC. · Daruharidra, Darvi, Katankateri, Pitadaru, Sthirapushpi · Part used: Stem bark (primary source of berberineThe main alkaloid in Daruharidra (Berberis aristata) — activates AMPK, the same cellular pathway as metformin. alkaloid); roots and root bark (higher berberine concentration, 2–3% by dry weight); wood and leaf (secondary). Bark is the pharmacopoeial part per Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) Part I Volume I.