I am a big tea lover. At home I have a cupboard filled with different types of herbal teas. My ultimate favourite is rooibos with oat milk which I drink instead of coffee to reduce my daily caffeine intake.
Before I found out I had endometriosis, I had been drinking up to 4 cups of coffee and/or tea a day. After I was diagnosed, one of the first steps to manage my symptoms naturally was reducing my caffeine intake. I didn’t stop completely but I went down to one black tea with oat milk a day for a while. Then after a while, when I was ready I switched to no caffeine at all..
But I also started looking for alternatives to coffee and black tea as I loved having them especially in the morning. Teas below are my favourite for managing endometriosis symptoms and I also like their taste. Changing my tea and coffee habit was one of the first steps I took on my journey to managing my endometriosis better. I also think it is one of the easiest ones (at least it was for me).
Why you should consider reducing your caffeine intake in endometriosis
Caffeine can be inflammatory leading to an increase in endometriosis pain. It can also cause some digestive issues and alleviate anxiety. A lot of women with endometriosis already struggle with all of these symptoms and coffee can only make them worse.
So why is it inflammatory? Caffeine intake can increase oestrogen levels. The higher the oestrogen levels the more risk there is in developing endometriosis, or worsening symptoms. Caffeine can impair the liver and reduce filtration of oestrogen leading to oestrogen dominance. Oestrogen dominance leads to higher inflammation and triggers all the endometriosis symptoms such as bloating, or pain.
Research has shown that women who drink one cup of coffee per day have higher oestrogen levels than women who drink none.
Endometriosis friendly teas
This list of teas is not exhaustive. I listed the ones I found on my journey to healing and which I truly enjoy. Let me know in the comments below if you found your perfect tea for endometriosis.
Chamomile Tea
I usually drink Chamomile tea in the evenings after my dinner to soothe my digestion and reduce bloating. But I actually started drinking it for its calming effect when I suffered with insomnia last year. Since then drinking a cup of Chamomile tea has become part of my evening routine to wind down after a busy day.
What I didn’t know and I learnt later was that chrysin, a compound found in Chamomile, actually suppressed the growth of endometrial cells.
Tulsi Tea
I mainly drink it for its great taste! Some people like to add a splash of milk into it too which can replace your regular morning brew.
Tulsi tea helps in maintaining normal levels of cortisol hormone in the body that is known as the stress hormone. Chronic pain which comes with endometriosis is known to make women have higher cortisol levels resulting in anxiety and feeling stressed out. Also high stress can lead to more inflammation leading to more pain.
Hibiscus Tea
High inflammation levels related to endometriosis lead to high oxidative stress. In order to lower oxidative stress, we should be introducing more antioxidants into our diet. These are found in vegetables and fruits but also in herbs.
Hibiscus tea is packed with antioxidants. You can drink it hot or cold so it is really easy to incorporate it as a part of an anti-inflammatory diet to manage endometriosis.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
This tea is very tasty and is known for its benefits in strengthening the uterus and pelvic muscles. It has also been found internally soothing resulting in lower pain. It is rich in antioxidant called ellagic acid altering the metabolism of oestrogen helping to rescue hormone conditions such as endometriosis.
Raspberry leaf tea is also very tasty so you can add it with other teas if you use loose tea leaves.
Peppermint Tea
Do you suffer from Endo belly? Peppermint is great after meals but also during a period when bloating is more common.
There was also a study done in 2016 showing that peppermint can reduce the severity of pain from menstrual cramps.
Dandelion Tea
It is a bitter plant which stimulates bile production which encourages liver detoxification, helping it to break down excess oestrogen and removing it savely.
It’s a super tea! It may also increase urine production, boost the immune system, detox the bladder and provide antioxidants.
Endo Mix Loose Tea
You can also buy some of the mentioned teas in a loose leaf form in a good quality shop like Indigo Herbs or Neal’s Yard and make your own mix. It will be impossible to fit in all the teas mentioned in one day so mixing some of your favourite teas together could be an option. I have this big glass storage jar in which I mix all of my favourite teas and shake them.
