What is seed cycling?
seed cycling is a technique where you rotate four different seeds: pumpkin, flax, sesame, and sunflower. The seeds are eaten every day, raw and ground. Whole seeds won't break down completely in your gut, so grinding them enables your body to extract more nutrients from the seeds. They can be eaten alone or added to other foods like smoothies and salads.
When I first heard about seed rotation method (also referred to as “seed cycling”), I was so surprised that such a simple method could be that transformative for so many women and yet I have found in my practice that so few women use it or have even heard of it.
The idea that food is true medicine is so remote for many people, that women in particular are not at all aware of the role good food plays in balancing our hormones.
I started using it on myself as I navigated through the menopause and on my daughters as they go through their monthly cycle and I can certainly say we noticed the difference.
Working With Your Monthly Cycle
For women who are still menstruating, Seed rotation can be used to boost oestrogen levels in the first part of your cycle and progesterone levels in the second part.
Phase 1 of seed cycling is one tablespoon of raw, ground pumpkin seeds and one tablespoon of raw, ground flax seeds from day one of your period until the day before you ovulate. Phase 1 should be about two weeks for most people.
Phase 2 of seed cycling involves eating one tablespoon of raw, ground sunflower seeds and one tablespoon of raw, ground sesame seeds per day from the day of ovulation until the day before the first day of your period. Phase 2 should also last about two weeks for most people.
Benefit of seed rotation for Women in perimenopause or menopause
Seed rotation is great for any stage of your life as a woman!
The seed rotation method can also help women balance their low oestrogen such as in the case of perimenopause and menopause. This method can help to gently raise oestrogen levels. This is why many women who experience dryness, hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and memory loss also report significant improvements from using the seed rotation.
Perimenopausal and menopausal women can start any day and rotate the seeds every two weeks.
Repeat the process for about three months to see if it has been helpful.
I just use them all the time now that I am at the menopause stage! I am not precise with the rotation but I still benefit from them immensely.
womanexperiencing symptoms of oestrogen dominance.
On a more serious note, at a certain stage of our lives, many women experience Oestrogen dominance! At the stage of perimenopause when stress seems to increase for many women as our caring role may now extend to our parents, is when progesterone in comparison to oestrogen may drop significantly which is another possible risk factor associated with oestrogenic cancers such as breast, uterine and ovarian. Even more reason to bring seed rotation into your life!
If you have a particular health concern and would like to work with me and try homeopathy to help re-balance your hormones, book a free 15 minutes discovery call.
Disclaimer:
While this technique has been used by many women and some have found it a potent tool to help them rebalance their oestrogen and progesterone levels, not enough research has been done. However unless you are allergic to seeds there is no harm in trying to add these very nutritious seeds into your diet.