At certain times in our lives, hormone levels will fluctuate widely, such as during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. For daily maintenance, our hormonal system works in tandem with the hormone centers of the brain to adjust itself based on our individual perception of outside influence. Where one situation may cause stress to one person, another may not be hindered by it. 

Regardless, stress, whether from a bear attack or a police siren, is dealt with by our innate fight or flight mode response of the sympathetic nervous system (our body's gas pedal so to speak). An instinctual reaction by the sympathetic nervous system hones our auditory skills, increases heart rate and triggers a surge in hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline which provide our body with needed energy. These reactions are typically short term and the surges are normalized through the parasympathetic nervous system putting on the brakes once a threat has passed. (1)

Most of us, thankfully, are not being chased by bears but instead by the pressure of modern-day life. Although our lives are not technically under threat, the need to perform and act can push many of us to our limits. The brain and body interpret these limits as constant stress and our hormonal centers respond in exactly the same way as acute stress. However, long-term, chronic or excessive stress can lead to ongoing hormone imbalances and contribute to various health issues such as high blood pressure and persistent inflammation. 

The Significance of Hormone Balance

If our body's hormone balance is out of whack, homeostasis will in turn be disrupted.  Homeostasis is the balance our bodies are constantly striving for and when the balance is unattainable, our bodies experience long-term hormone imbalance. This can show itself in a number of ways and includes night sweats, sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, depression and weight gain and can also include memory loss, brain fog and even incontinence. (2,3) 

Understanding how to counteract this toll on the body and how to change your reaction to stressors can take time - time well worth the effort for your future and your peace of mind. Achieving inner balance, therefore, plays a major role in our physical, mental and emotional health. Managing stress can be attained in a number of ways including with aromatherapy and essential oils, various relaxation techniques, regular exercise, and meditation. Getting optimal sleep, eating a balanced diet and decreasing caffeine and sugar intake is also of utmost importance to help improve mood, decrease stress and normalize hormone levels. (3)

As a side note, while essential oil blends such as Hormone Balance can help reduce stress and tension, for some, hormonal imbalance can also be caused by certain medications and steroid use as well as stem from autoimmune disorders and even tumor growth. Under these circumstances, we highly recommend that it’s best to speak with your doctor(s) and even nutritionists to change medications as well as diet potentially. Ascertaining the root cause of hormone imbalance is of the utmost importance. (4) 

The Ingredients Behind Hormone Balance

Edens Garden Hormone Balance essential oil blend (formerly known as Balance), is made up of three simple but competent and dynamic essential oils: Lavender- Bulgarian (Lavandula angustifolia), Geranium- Egyptian (Pelargonium graveolens) and Sandalwood- East Indian (Santalum album).

Since stress inadvertently affects our overall hormone levels, the objective of this blend is to support users with a safe and effective encouragement of stress relief for our bodies and minds which will help to realign normal hormone levels. Essential oils have constituents, such as linalool and Linalyl acetate, that have shown an ability to alleviate depression, stress and anxiety and in turn calm the flight or flight response and promote inner balance. Let’s look at the oils and dive into some studies to understand how they affect the hormone centers of the brain to bring calm and peace to the mind and body. (5)

• Lavender- Bulgarian (Lavandula angustifolia), 

Lavender, as the mother of all oils, is widely acknowledged in the world of aromatherapy and most likely the most scientifically studied of all essential oils. It is revered for its main components Linalool and Linalyl acetate which have shown a capacity to calm an overactive nervous system and act as a sedative. It benefits the body by demonstrating an ability to increase melatonin levels for better sleep and furthers hormone balance by suppressing the stress response, in turn decreasing cortisol levels and reducing inflammation. (6,7,8,9)

• Geranium- Egyptian (Pelargonium graveolens), 

Geranium has a very distinct aroma that is sweet and herbal with hints of lemon. Its main components consist of Citronellol, Geraniol and Linalool which are soothing to the heart and mind, offering comfort and serving to reduce anxiety and chronic stress as well as helping to lift fatigue for overall well-being. In studies, Geranium has similar benefits to Rose essential oil by balancing hormones, improving mood and supporting the menstrual cycle. (10,11,12,13)

• Sandalwood- East Indian (Santalum album): 

Sandalwood has a very sensual character that is sweet and woodsy. Sandalwood is a master at building inner peace. It is a base note, grounding oil that blends extremely well with Lavender and Geranium. Its main components are alpha-Santalol and beta-Santalol which are neuro-protective, reduce blood pressure, act as sedatives and have a calming effect on the nervous system. Therefore, Sandalwood is used to promote relaxation and diminish anxiety and stress levels in turn decreasing cortisol levels, bringing serenity to the entire body. (14, 15)

Calming the Mind and Restoring Evenness

Hormone Balance essential oil blend is an amalgam of Lavender, Geranium and Sandalwood essential oils that help to build the spirit and promote healthy living with three very synergistic single oils. Each oil with its different set of constituents supports each other to create a balance unmet by other health blends for reducing stress and anxiety, evening out hormone levels and protecting the heart and mind. 

While employing this health blend, there are a number of techniques you can use to further calm the vagus nerve which plays a fundamental role in the parasympathetic (rest & digest) nervous system. Soothing the vagus nerve to attain calm can include practices easily infused into daily life such as yoga and meditation, listening to calming music, idealizing visualizations, receiving massage therapy and rhythmic exercises such as these breathing techniques and long quiet walks in nature. (16)

From inhalation to topical use, there are a number of options for usage to fit every personality type when incorporating Hormone Balance into one's daily routine. By consistently attuning yourself to bettering your mental state, this essential oil blend will help you achieve and promote emotional, mental and physical balance for women and men alike. Our favorite modes of transport for essential oils are inhalation and topical use. Here are some tips below:

• Inhalation

Diffuse this blend on off days to help center your mind and body. Add 10 drops per 100 ml of water in an Essential Oil Diffuser. Try the portable Mio Mist when traveling or at work. This Essential Oil Inhaler also is a superb, on-the-go device. Lastly, maybe you drive a lot for work or to transport kids, our Aromaride car diffuser needs no battery or outlet, simply slip it onto a car vent.

• Topical Use 

Dilute 18 drops of Hormone Balance in 1 oz of carrier oil or unscented cream and apply morning and night to pulse points, the back of the neck and the chest. You can also apply the cream blend onto your hands and feet morning and night.

• Bathtime

At the end of a long day, there is nothing better than taking some time for yourself. In a bowl, blend 6 drops of Hormone Balance with 2 cups Epsom Salts and 2 tbsp of liquid Castile soap and mix well. Meanwhile, fill up a warm tub, and add in the salt mixture. Let the salts dissolve before climbing in. Relax using calming breathing techniques for at least 15 minutes with calming music if you like. Bonus: The magnesium naturally found in the salts helps promote better sleep and relieves muscle aches. 

Navigating Off Days with Hormone Balance

While there are many factors that can throw life into a tailspin such as worry about finances or work stress, we cannot control all the situations life may throw at us but we can control how we deal with these stressors. By noting the triggers and indicators that bring out stress and anxiety, the most important thing is to be consistent in the use of calming activities listed above that fit one's personality best. Adding to that mix simultaneously is the use of essential oils that also work well for you. Hormone Balance is one of many essential oil blends for health made by Edens Garden. 

By finding the right blend for you that makes the weight fall off your shoulders, regaining the sense of self during stressful moments should be easy to attain. A number of Edens Garden users have found these moments with blends as Hormone Balance has done for a customer named Jane. Jane was feeling sad, irritated, angry, depressed and experiencing other negative emotions - as close to an anxiety attack as she had ever had. Searching for a blend to lighten her mood, she found Hormone Balance gave it a try and voila, it worked beautifully. She used the blend in her diffuser and she was patient in waiting for her mood to even out. Another user, Amy, found Hormone Balance to be a relaxing blend that soothed her mind and helped clear up any mental fog.

If you would like to discover more blends for health, Edens Garden has many aromatics that support a holistic approach to health and wellness. For your curiosity and perusal, a treasure trove of Edens Garden health blends can be found here for women and men alike.

Holistic Wellness and Hormone Balance

Achieving and optimizing wellness through a holistic medicine approach takes into account the whole person rather than focusing on only one aspect of the body. When you achieve body and mind wellness, a whole world opens up that is full of vitality, happiness and purpose. Essential oils work on this whole-body approach to wellness by reducing the body's reaction to stress and normalizing hormonal balance. 

Using methods such as inhalation and topical absorption, essential oil molecules travel directly to the olfactory nerves, directly impacting areas of the brain such as the amygdala - the seat of our emotions. The essential oil molecules make a direct impact in relieving an overflow of hormones such as those from stress, cortisol and adrenaline.

By also adding to your routine proper and healthy nutrition filled with vegetables and fruits as well as daily exercise and relaxation routines, a natural environment for health, wellness and a calm sense of mind is created which will follow you and your family for generations. 

SOURCES

1. Understanding the Stress Response https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response#:~:text=The%20sympathetic%20nervous%20system%20functions,system%20acts%20like%20a%20brake
2. How Stress Can Cause a Hormonal Imbalance https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hormone-imbalances-and-how-to-treat-them#:~:text=While%20mood%20swings%2C%20hot%20flashes,night%20sweats
3. Hormonal Imbalance Causes, Symptoms & Treatment https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22673-hormonal-imbalance
4. Side Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/side-effects-of-hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/
5. Linalool as a Therapeutic and Medicinal Tool in Depression Treatment: A Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9886818/
6. Lavender and the Nervous System https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/
7. The Effect of Aromatherapy with Lavender https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229919305448
8. Influences of Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation on Stress Responses during Short-Duration Sleep Cycles: A Pilot Study https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/7/909
9. Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical scavenging activity and decreases cortisol level in saliva https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178106000114
10. Effect of Inhalation of Aroma of Geranium Essence on Anxiety and Physiological Parameters during First Stage of Labor in Nulliparous Women: a Randomized Clinical Trial https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4484988/
11. Odor Perception and Descriptions of Rose-Scented Geranium Pelargonium graveolens ‘Dr. Westerlund’–Sensory and Chemical Analyses https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/11/4511
12. The Effect of Aromatherapy with Pelargonium graveolens (P. graveolens)on the Fatigue and Sleep Quality of Critical Care Nurses during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10281030/
13. Essential Oils and Menopause https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317918#:~:text=by%20balancing%20hormones.-,Geranium,in%20perimenopause%2C%20and%20improving%20mood
14. East Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) oil confers neuroprotection and geroprotection in Caenorhabditis elegans via activating SKN-1/Nrf2 signaling pathway https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6171454/
15. A Pilot Study on the Physiological Effects of Three Essential Oils in Humans https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30549622/
16. 5 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vagus-nerve-stimulation/