Seed Cycle Bundle (For Women's Hormone Balance - Four Seeds 100g each)

Ingredients: Pumpkin Seeds 100g, Sunflower Seeds 100, Sesame Seeds 100g, Flax Seeds 100g 

Net Weight of Ingredients: 400g (4 x 100g each)
Serving Duration: One Month (Taking one tablespoon daily) 

Seed cycling is the practice of eating specific seeds during the two main phases of your menstrual cycle (follicular and luteal) to help promote the healthy balance of estrogen and progesterone levels. It’s a gentle and completely natural way to reduce PMS symptoms, boost fertility, and can help stimulate menstruation if it’s absent (amenorrhea), and other symptoms as a result of hormonal imbalances. 

Seed cycling can be used at any stage of a woman’s life (including post-menopause). However, it’s especially beneficial when coming off of hormonal birth control or struggling with post-birth control syndrome symptoms like acne, irregular periods or missing periods, or PMS.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE 

To better understand seed cycling, you need to understand the two main phases of your menstrual cycle. 

The first phase, the follicular phase, begins the first day of your menstrual bleed until ovulation. This typically lasts around 14 days. The second phase, the luteal phase, starts at ovulation until your next menstrual bleed. Luteal phase length can vary but this is also typically around 14 days. 

When your hormone levels are balanced, estrogen rises during the first half of your cycle. During the second half of your cycle progesterone levels rise while estrogen levels slowly decline. An imbalance between estrogen and progesterone can contribute to PMS symptoms, menstrual cramps, acne, short luteal phases, anovulation, irregular cycles, and amenorrhea.

HOW TO START SEED CYCLING FOR HORMONE BALANCE?

Seed cycling is quite simple. You incorporate 1-2 tbsps of pumpkin and flax seeds daily during the follicular of your cycle. Once you ovulate, you incorporate sunflower and sesame seeds daily during your luteal phase. 

DAYS 1-14 OF YOUR CYCLE (OR MENSTRUATION TO OVULATION)

• • 1-2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
  • 1-2 tablespoons ground pumpkin seeds

DAYS 15-28 OF YOUR CYCLE (OR OVULATION TO MENSTRUATION) 

• • 1-2 tablespoons ground sunflower seeds
  • 1-2 tablespoons ground sesame seeds

If you don’t have a 28-day menstrual cycle, don’t worry! Many women don’t. It’s  best to follow the 14 day cycle for each phase of seeds. By staying on track with the 2-week rotation, the process will nudge your body into an optimal menstrual cycle rhythm and help you get back on track.

WHAT IF YOU HAVE AN IRREGULAR OR MISSING PERIOD (AMENORRHEA)? 

It’s possible to incorporate seed cycling even if you have irregular or missing periods. Instead of rotating with the phases of your cycling, you’ll follow the phases of the moon as a general guideline. 

MOON PHASES SEED CYCLING GUIDELINES

• • Days 1-14 (new moon to full moon), eat pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.
  • Days 15-28 (full moon to new moon), eat sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

It may seem odd or even a little woo-woo, but the moon is powerful. It controls the waves in the ocean, can affect our center of gravity, and have an effect on your menstrual cycle. Have you ever noticed that the moon and the average menstrual cycle are both 28 days? This is no coincidence. Many women’s cycles (when balanced) naturally follow the phases of the moon.

HOW DOES SEED CYCLING SUPPORT HORMONE BALANCE?

In truth, there is little scientific research that supports the direct relationship between seed cycling and improved hormonal balance in women. There just haven’t been studies done on this practice. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work! It’s important to keep an open mind with nutrition and natural healing practices since there are limitations in research and lack of studies on specific topics. 

While studies don’t directly link seed cycling to hormone balance, they show clear correlations that specific nutritional components in flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds may play a role in supporting your natural hormonal cycle.

FOLLICULAR PHASE

During the first phase of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase), pumpkin seeds and flax seeds help improve our estrogen levels while preventing excess estrogen. Flax seeds contain lignans which bind to excess estrogen. Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc which helps support progesterone production as you move towards the progesterone rise in the second phase of your cycle.

LUTEAL PHASE

During the second phase of your cycle (luteal phase), sesame seeds and sunflower seeds help boost progesterone production. Sesame seeds are a rich source of zinc which help boost progesterone production and also contain lignans that help block excess estrogen while progesterone rises. Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E and selenium. Vitamin E can help boost progesterone production, while selenium helps detox the liver of excess estrogen.

HOW TO INCORPORATE SEED CYCLING INTO YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE:

It’s recommended to eat 1-2 tablespoons of the specific seeds each day. Raw, ground seeds are best, especially for the flax and sesame. You can simply use a coffee/spice grinder to grind the seeds. I grind about a cup at a time and keep it in a glass jar in the fridge or freezer.

Think of your seeds like hormone balancing sprinkles. You can add them to anything! If you’re looking for ways to incorporate your seeds, here’s some ideas to get you started. 

Some creative ways to use your seed cycling seed mix include:

• • Add to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal or chia seed pudding
  • Sprinkle on toast, nourish bowls, salads or soups
  • Pesto with pumpkin and flax seeds
  • Homemade seed butter 
  • Make homemade granola with pumpkin and flax or sesame and sesame seeds
  • This recipe for seed cycling bites for each phase of your cycle 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?

Seed cycling takes time to work with your body. It can take at least three months of daily use to start noticing the benefits. Keeping a journal to track your symptoms throughout the month can help you identify the shifts happening over the months. 

You might be wondering, do I have to stick with this for life? The truth is, it’s entirely up to you. Seed cycling is such an easy and gentle way to naturally support your hormone balance daily, you may want to consider it. It may feel daunting to think about doing this forever, but once you get into a habit, it may become second nature. I recommend taking it month-by-month. Making a monthly goal to seed cycle makes it feel much more manageable.