7 Drinks to Balance Hormones Naturally (+ Recipes)

There’s always a lot of talk about the best foods for hormonal imbalance. But what are some of the best drinks to balance hormones?

Whether it’s green tea or smoothies, kombucha or apple cider vinegar – yes, its effects on hormones have been studied – there are several types of hormone-friendly drinks that you can easily add to your diet.

So, in this guide we’re going to look at 7 drinks (and some recipes) that can help to support your health.

Let’s go!

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7 DRINKS FOR NATURAL HORMONE BALANCE

DRINK	HOW TO USE
Adaptogenic drink	Drink daily.
Kombucha	Up to 12 ounces per day.
Green Tea	1-2 cups per day of matcha or 3-5 cups per day of regular green tea.
Juices	One large glass per day.
Smoothies	1 – 2 servings a day.
Apple Cider Vinegar	Mix 1 tablespoon in 7 ounces of water.
Herbal Tea	Generally, 1 to 2 cups daily.

This table lists drinks that help with hormonal imbalance.

1. Adaptogenic Drink

Adaptogens are plants that support the stress response system aka the HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal) axis.

This stress response is often overworked in our current times because we face stress from so many sources: unhealthy food, socioeconomic changes, emotional turmoil and more.

And if the HPA is constantly working, that means the adrenals are constantly having to release cortisol in response to all the stressors.

Not only can this leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed, but it affects other hormones. For example, when the adrenals are in overdrive, thyroid activity is down-regulated. In addition, elevated cortisol affects your weight and sex hormones (potentially contributing to elevated androgen levels).

So, to help your body better respond to stress, a drink made with adaptogenic can help you feel less frazzled by balancing cortisol and regulating your energy.

How To Use Adaptogenic Drinks for Hormone Support

The Golden Mellow blend from Your Super contains ashwagandha, which is considered a balancing adaptogen.

This means it won’t stimulate the body the way other adaptogens – like maca or rhodiola – might do. Rather, ashwagandha tends to have a calming effect so that you can go about your day feeling more relaxed.

To round out the formula, there’s also cinnamon (which may help blood sugar) plus ginger and turmeric (both known for being anti-inflammatory and often used for menstrual pain).

Get Golden Mellow

2. Kombucha

Believed to have originated in China about 2000 years ago, kombucha is a fermented tea that contains:

Probiotics.
Amino acids
B-vitamins
Enzymes.

This combination of nutrients makes kombucha (aka “booch”) a powerful health drink for hormone and female health.

Some potential benefits of kombucha include (source):

Liver support: the antioxidants in kombucha help to protect the liver from oxidative stress. Since the liver filters excess hormones and toxins from the body, drinking kombucha is a quick and easy way to support this vital organ.

Improves gut and digestive health: the probiotics in kombucha help to populate the gut with “good” bacteria. This is a huge benefit since healthy gut bacteria is necessary for both hormone production and detoxification.

Immune booster: due to its B-vitamin and probiotic content, kombucha supports and boosts the immune system. This has a strong impact on your hormones because studies continually show that a weak immune system affects the body’s stress response system (i.e. affects cortisol levels) and our hormones as a whole (1, 2, 3).

How To Use Kombucha for Hormone Balance

There are more and more kombucha brands on the market, but the one I personally enjoy is GT’s.

They were the first company to launch kombucha (in the U.S. market) and to this day they maintain outstanding production standards (source).

These days you can find this brand everywhere, whether you’re at Target or your local health food store.

Some of the flavors that I enjoy most from this brand are watermelon wonder, gingerberry and guava goddess.

Oh, and if you’re wondering “is it ok to drink kombucha every day?” the answer is YES.

Just stick to about 12 ounces per day (source).

3. Green Tea

Just about every health issue known to man seems to benefit from green tea.

So, it’s not surprising that this classic healthy tea is also one of the best things you can drink for hormone balance.

Green tea’s health benefits come mainly from an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).

Thanks to EGCG green tea is able to fight inflammation, which is often an underlying contributor to hormonal imbalances.

In addition, research shows that green tea (4, 5, 6, 7, 8):

improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels.
lowers testosterone levels in women with PCOS.
protects the liver.
may reduce ovarian cysts in PCOS patients (based on an animal study only).
boosts metabolism and supports weight loss

Another benefit of drinking green tea for hormones is that it contains about half the caffeine of coffee.

This lower caffeine content means that green tea doesn’t stress out the adrenals as much as coffee does (source).

How To Use Green Tea for Hormone Balance

There are two forms of green tea: loose leaf tea and matcha (aka green tea powder).

Matcha is generally better because it generally has about 3 times more antioxidants than regular green tea.

When purchasing matcha, just make sure you’re getting ceremonial grade matcha like this one (other grades of matcha won’t have the same level of all nutrients).

Lastly, when drinking matcha tea, experts suggest 1 to 2 cups per day for general health. As for regular green tea bags, 3 – 5 cups a day is suggested (9, 10).

4. Juices

Nutritional deficiencies, toxins, gut and digestive issues and overall inflammation are just a few of the underlying factors that may trigger or worsen hormonal imbalance. Juicing is one of natural ways to address all of them.

You see, juices can be incredibly helpful because they are:

A concentrated source of nutrients. For example, if you were to make a 16-ounce glass of carrot juice, you would use about 4 large carrots, or about 7 medium-sized carrots. You couldn’t eat that many carrots in one go, but by juicing them you get those beneficial nutrients!
Easy on the digestive system. The process of juicing removes the insoluble fiber from fruits and juices. So what you’re left with is an easy-to-digest, nutrient-rich beverage.
Supports gut health. The one type of fiber that is left is juices is soluble fiber. These act as prebiotics and encourage the growth of probiotics in the gut.

How To Use Juices for Hormone Balance

The most important thing with juices is that they must be fresh-pressed. Unfortunately, standard orange juice from the grocery store won’t work because it’s pasteurized (i.e. most of the good stuff has been removed).

Simply drinking one large glass every day is a nice addition to your diet.

For recipes you can use, please see this guide on juicing for hormone imbalance.

5. Smoothies

Smoothies are another simple way to consume more nutrients and support your hormones without a whole lot of fuss.

Here are some of the reasons why these blended drinks are so beneficial:

Supports immune health: when the immune system is compromised, your hormones are compromised (and vice versa). The nutrient-dense foods in smoothies are ideal for maintaining a healthy balance between both systems.

Helps with gut health: you can put whole veggies and fruits, healthy fats (like hemp and flax seeds) and even probiotics, in a smoothie. All of these ingredients support gut health, making it easier for your hormones to self-adjust.

Support detoxification: whether it’s pesticides, food colorings, processed fats or other inflammatory ingredients, smoothies are an effective way to help your body flush out inflammatory and hormone-disrupting compounds.

Increases fiber intake: your body’s preferred way to eliminate hormone-disrupting toxins is through your bowel movements. And in order to have healthy bowel movements (preferably 2 a day) you need lots of dietary fiber. Smoothies give you large doses of fiber thanks to all the fruits and veggies that they contain.

One thing to keep in mind is that ounce for ounce, smoothies have less nutrients and more bulk (fiber) compared to juices. They’re not worse. Just different 🙂

How To Use Smoothies to Reset Your Hormones

Simply start your day with a whole food smoothie of your choice.

Or you can drink a smoothie as a mid-afternoon snack. It’s a nutritious pick-me-up when that 3pm slump hits!

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

When it comes to home remedies for health, apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular.

In fact, the web is full of testimonials from people who use it for skincare, weight loss and as an energy drink.

But when it comes to resetting your hormones, what can ACV actually do for you? Here are a few ways apple cider vinegar may help:

Some research suggests that ACV has the ability to improve insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels (11, 12). This is based on a small study done with diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

According to a very small study done with seven PCOS patients, apple cider vinegar helped regulate their menstrual cycles and improved their insulin levels (as well as other hormone levels) (source). More studies are needed to fully confirm these effects.

How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Hormonal Imbalance

If you have PCOS, studies show that a mix of 1 tablespoon ACV in 7 ounces of water does the trick. Drink this after dinner (source).
If you don’t have PCOS, consider starting with the same guidelines from the PCOS study.

NOTE: always dilute ACV and avoid consuming more than 2 tablespoons per day. (source).

7. Herbal Tea

Long before kombucha, smoothies or supplement capsules were a thing, herbal tea was THE preferred way of administering “medicine.”

And they’re still a very viable option today!

Now, as for which herbs to use in a hormone balance tea, here are some options to explore:

Red raspberry tea: tones and nourishes the uterus; rich in B vitamins as well as vitamins A, C and E; cools the body; regulates heavy periods; supports healthy eggs (source).

Spearmint tea: regulates androgen levels; improves hormonal acne; increases female hormones; decreases ovarian cysts (source).

Peppermint tea: reduces menstrual cramps, improves digestion, relieves fatigue, cools the body (13, 14).

Stinging nettle leaf tea: balances blood sugar; traditionally used to lower inflammation; often used as a natural remedy for hair loss (especially in the form of an herbal hair rinse) (source).

Oatstraw: gentle tonic for the nervous system); contains mucilage which soothes inflamed tissues (hence the reason why some herbalists mention this herb as a remedy for vaginal dryness).

Hibiscus tea: regulates blood sugar, full of disease-fighting antioxidants, reduces obesity, has natural antidepressant properties (source).

Vitex berry (chasteberry) tea: treats PMS, acne, infertility, menopause symptoms and period-related issues (source). In terms of flavor, it’s not the most pleasant though!

Milk thistle: supports the liver, improves insulin resistance, boosts immune system, supports weight loss (source).

How To Use Herbal Teas for Hormone Support

In general, drink 2 to 3 cups per day of herbal tea.

One brand that has a nice assortment of teas is Pink Stork. Their teas come in convenient, ready-to-steep tea bags and they have teas for various needs (such as PMS, menopause, fertility and more). Go here to see which Pink Stork tea suits your best.

what can I drink for my hormones featured smoothies

herbal tea in glass for drinks to balance hormones

HORMONE-BALANCING DRINK RECIPES

1. Red Raspberry, Nettle and Oatstraw Infusion

Makes about 1 ounce. To get all the ingredients for this recipe, visit Mountain Rose Herbs.

Ingredients

4 oz red raspberry leaf
4 oz stinging nettle leaf
2 oz oatstraw
1 quart-sized mason jar

How To Make

Add the herbs to the mason jar.
Pour in boiled water. Stir the herbs to make room for more water until the jar is filled to the top.
Seal the jar and let it sit on a countertop overnight.
Strain out the herbs
Sweeten with raw honey if desired and drink within 72 hours.

2. Ashwagandha Golden Milk Recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup plain almond milk (or full-fat coconut milk)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp ashwagandha powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 – 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ginger
Pinch of black pepper
OPTIONAL – raw honey to sweeten.

How to make

Combine all ingredients except the raw honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Gently warm up the ingredients for 5 minutes, making sure not to let the mixture boil. Stir frequently to ensure everything blends well and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Pour into a mug.
Add honey to sweeten and enjoy!

3. Pineapple and Cherry Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

3/4 cup frozen pineapples
3/4 cup frozen cherries
1 ripe, medium bananas
1/3 cup almond milk
OPTIONAL: 1 scoop of this green powder

How To Make

To facilitate blending, allow the fruit to thaw out on your kitchen counter for about 45 minutes.
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
Enjoy!