Four of My Favorite Essential Oils to Support Hormone Balance in My Naturopathic and Functional Medicine Practice: Part 2

Essential Oils Holistic Actions on Hormones

Hello friends.

Today will be part two of our discussion regarding using essential oils for healthy hormones.

In case you missed it, in my last video blog I reviewed why essential oils are amazing allies for supporting hormonal health. This is because these aromatic molecules can help regulate hormones in multifaceted ways. They address the root cause of hormone imbalances through their ability to modulate stress, mood issues, sleep problems, and other physiological functions. Essential oils can also influence biochemical pathways to improve cellular responses to hormone signals.

Another important area I highlighted about essential oils and hormones was exploring if essential oils are “estrogenic.” Based on the evidence we have so far, and their chemical structure, this is most likely not the case.

Now that we have an idea of the actions of essential oils for balancing hormones, I will provide more information on the four most popular single essential oils I recommend in my practice to support hormone health. These include rose geranium oil, clary sage oil, lavender oil, and neroli oil. I will also give you some of the science on why I choose these oils and some practical applications of them.

As usual, I will have all the links to references and additional articles listed at the end of the video blog.

In fact, for the next few weeks, I unlocked a few articles from my essential oils database which are usually only available to community membership subscribers. So, if you are curious about this resource, you’ll want to check out the sample posts on geranium and clary sage oils.

Okay, let’s get started!

 

Four Essential Oils that Support Hormone Balance

Rose Geranium Oil

Rose geranium essential oil is known as a harmonizer. It is a calming, soothing, and uplifting floral oil. Aromatically, it can boost confidence and make one feel more “feminine.”

The biological effects of using rose geranium for safely supporting women’s health throughout their lifespan is impressive. In fact, one study showed that inhalation of rose geranium oil could be used at one of the most critical times of hormonal fluctuations. This trial consisted of 100 nulliparous (first time birth) mothers in Iran. The researchers sought to determine if geranium essential oil inhalation at 2% dilution, in comparison with a placebo (control), would decrease anxiety levels during the first phase of labor. The outcomes were measured using a questionnaire prior to and after the experiment. Blood pressure, respiratory rate, and pulse rate were also measured to assess physiological shifts as the result of this intervention.

The authors concluded:

The mean anxiety score decreased significantly after inhalation of the aroma of geranium essential oil. There was also a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure…

(The) aroma of essential oil of geraniums can effectively reduce anxiety during labor and can be recommended as a non-invasive anti-anxiety aid during childbirth.

This is an important finding. This is because relieving stress for mamma is not only helpful for her mood, but also positively influences her reproductive hormones and the biological outcomes and processes of the fetus.

Another small study demonstrated this oil’s hormone balancing impact. It evaluated geranium and nine other essential oils (frankincense, clary sage, lavender, jasmine absolute, neroli, rose otto, ylang ylang, orange, and roman chamomile) for their impact on salivary estrogen levels. Researchers reported that there was an “increase of salivary estrogen concentration induced by exposure to geranium and rose otto compared to control odor.” * Remember this does not mean it was estrogenic, rather that it raised estrogen indirectly.

Further down the lifespan, rose geranium has been shown to be helpful with assisting with mood shifts. One study analyzed the emotional effects of this oil on 120 postmenopausal women. The researchers compared massage alone to massage combined with 2% rose geranium oil diluted in almond oil or a control oil. The results demonstrated that both massage alone and massage with aromatherapy reduced depression. Not surprisingly to me, geranium oil reduced depression more than massage alone.

There are also several studies of rose geranium being helpful for other stages of womanhood. For example, one patented product containing this oil presented evidence that it can assist with alleviating menstrual cramping and other hormonal symptoms.

 

Clary Sage Oil

Clary Sage oil also has several studies on supporting women in various stages of their hormone cycles including pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.

For example, one study with twenty-two menopausal women in their fifties found that clary sage oil inhalation decreased cortisol, increased 5-hydroxytrptamine (the monoamine, serotonin), and elevated mood.

Another study with eleven pregnant women reported that inhaling diluted clary sage oil modulated oxytocin levels in select subjects. All participants also experienced a decrease in cortisol.

 

Lavender Oil

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils for stress and anxiety. I have found it amazingly helpful for supporting issues related to hormonal imbalances. This includes its ability to modulate cortisol, enhance melatonin secretion for deeper sleep, activate the vagus nerve, and impact the nervous system through modulating inflammation and neurotransmitters. All of these are common areas that can influence hormone balance.

 

Neroli Oil

Neroli oil is well known for its calming and balancing characteristics. It is also great for hormones. In a randomized trial of sixty-three healthy postmenopausal women, researchers reported that inhaling the essential oil of neroli had positive effects on menopausal symptoms, stress, and estrogen levels.

 

Blending Essential Oils for Oxytocin and Connection

Although I love using single oils, blending them can also be helpful. Oxytocin is often overlooked as a hormone, but it is vital for bonding and decreasing stress. It can impact all the other hormones due to these effects.

In a human trial with fifteen postmenopausal woman, ten essential oils were evaluated for their impact on oxytocin. The experiment consisted of each individual being exposed to a control and an essential oil for 20 minutes per day. Saliva was collected before and after the control and experiment conditions. The authors concluded: “salivary oxytocin concentrations increased significantly more after exposure to lavender, neroli, jasmine absolute, roman chamomile, clary sage, and Indian sandalwood than after exposure to the control odor.”

 

Applications of Hormone Oils

I often suggest to my clients to alternate topical application of these oils in the AM and PM. I recommend diluting 1-2 drops of them in a tsp of carrier oil and massaging the oil over the lower belly by the ovaries and on the ankles.

I will usually suggest applying geranium oil in the morning and clary sage oil at night.

Lavender and neroli essential oils are also helpful to diffuse during the day.

For my more anxious and stressed clients, sometimes I will suggest taking a few drops of a high quality lavender in a diluted capsule. This is based on several studies of a patented German lavender oil formula, Silexan, being shown to be as effective for anxiety as medication.

 

Conclusion: Essential Oils for Hormones

Essential oils support hormonal harmony in a variety of ways. They help to modulate the triggers that cause hormonal imbalance, such as stress, mood issues, and sleep problems. They also influence biochemical pathways at the cellular level to support better hormone signaling.

I hope this information was helpful to you in how essential oils can help you to balance your hormones.

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn how to nourish and nurture your mind, body, and soul.

I would love to hear from you on what your favorite oils and blends are for hormones in the comment section. Also, feel free to share what I can do to support you more. Your feedback helps to guide my focus on topics for my blogs and social media.

Sending you many blessings.

 

Resources:

• The Two Most Recommended Essential Oil Blends in My Practice to Erase Stress and Calm the Brain and Nervous System (My clinical tip with references)
• The Bioactives of Sclareol: A Mini Review (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022)
• Essential Oils for Hormones: Holistic Support for Healthy Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, Thyroid, and Oxytocin Balance (My article with references)
• Five Cool Ways Essential Oils Can Holistically Support Hormone Health (Ep. 412 of the Essential Oil Revolution with detailed show notes)
• Essential Oils for Stress Relief and Mental Health: A Review (My clinical tip with references)
• Three Ways Essential Oils Support Brain Health for Better Mood, Memory, and Cognition: Part 1 (My clinical tip with references)
• A Naturopathic and Functional Medicine Approach to Supporting the Brain Using Essential Oils: Essential Oils for the Brain Part 2 (My clinical tip with references)
• Creating True Transformation in 2025 with Healing Resources to Reflect, Rejuvenate, and Revive (My clinical tip with references)
• Lavender Oil: The Go-To Essential Oil that Soothes the Brain, Lowers Anxious Symptoms, Calms Stress, Decreases Head Discomfort… and More! (My article with references)
• Determining the Quality of Essential Oils- Part II (My article with references)
• Optimizing Hormones and Sexual Health Using Functional Medicine and Essential Oils with The Girlfriend Doctor, Dr. Anna Cabeca, DO, OBGYN, FACOG (Ep. 406 of the Essential Oil Revolution with detailed show notes)
• A Brief Review of the Latest Study Regarding Tea Tree and Lavender Oils’ (Isolated Constituents) “Endocrine Disruption” (Found in a Petri Dish, Using Human Cancer Cells) (My article on saratoga.com with references)
• The Science to Set the Saga Straight…Hormonal Effects and Essential Oils (My article in my EO database with references, now available to public)
• Rose Geranium Essential Oil: Supporting Hormonal Health Throughout a Woman’s Lifespan: Beyond Birth Through the Wise Years (My article in my EO database with references, now available to public)

**Transcript has been edited for grammar and ease of reading.