I absolutely love when Western thinking meets Eastern philosophy!

In my practice, I treat a lot of women with hormonal imbalances. Many come in especially for fertility support. With each patient, I form a TCM diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan, which always includes nutrition. After all, digestion is at the centre of our health!

Enter: Seeds and Seed Cycling!

Are you familiar with this Western nutritional support to help balance women’s hormones?

Usually, four kind of seeds are added to the diet daily, and rotated based on the follicular and luteal phases. From Day 1 to Day 14 (or until ovulation): it is recommended to take 1 tablespoon each of flax seeds and pumpkin seeds daily. And from Day 15 (or after ovulation) to Day 28, or until menstruation starts: it’s recommended to take 1 tablespoon each sunflower and sesame seeds daily.

Lots of studies show pumpkin seeds are high in zinc which supports progesterone release and flax seeds contain lignans which block excess estrogen. Sesame seeds, also contain lignans, while sunflower seeds provide the body with selenium, assisting the liver in detoxification.

How does TCM fit into this equation?

In Chinese medicine, seeds are said to help tonify TCM Kidneys and nourish Essence, which in turn can help the reproductive system. Seeds are great for fertility. Because we need a seed to create a seed (a fetus)!

I really love that both western and eastern nutrition recommend seeds for fertility! Below, I created a quick chart for you with the properties and functions of seeds and nuts according to TCM. My favourites are sunflowers seeds, almonds and pistachios. May be because all 3 lubricate the Large Intestine 🙂

Keep rocking it with TCM,

Clara
TCM Geek

PS: By the way, a while back, I created a Complete Fertility & TCM Treatments Course, where I talk about seed cycling. If you haven’t checked it out yet, click here for all the juicy details!