Hormone Balancing Luna Coffee: Vitex, Maca, Dandelion & Chicory

Dear coffee, it’s time we take a break…

This black Madonna has a big role in setting the speedy pace of modern life and has a very addictive way about her. Coffee is a wonderful aid for focus and there are numerous studies supporting its many beneficial qualities, however sometimes too much of a good thing can run us a tad ragged.

Oh I can almost hear your sharp inbreath and a part of you may already be beginning to protest. I understand!

Fear of not being able to focus at work or study is natural. However if you’re feeling over wired, have fluctuating mood and energy levels, are stressed or having trouble sleeping, it may be time to give her a break.

This is a particularly clever recipe for hormone balancing

Additionally, if you’re experiencing regular PMS, perimenopause symptoms are giving you grief or have sore breasts, taking away the coffee for a while its a move that needs to be made.  If you really wanted to take your hormone balancing with teas to next level, I would start with this is the morning, enjoy Tulsi tea throughout the day, and finish the day off with a Mugwort blend.  Throw in syncing your diet to your cycle and you’ve got yourself some powerful self-care.

It is robust, bold, toasty and earthy…good enough to compete with your coffee. The two key herbs, dandelion and chicory roots are brilliant liver and digestive tonics. If you rely on coffee to get your bowels moving in the morning, these guys have that base covered.

Also, whenever you’re giving your body some hormone balancing lovin’ – you gotta start with the liver. They also both contain a prebiotic fibre called ‘inulin’, which feeds the happy bacteria in your gut. Win win!

The roasted carob gives the blend an almost caramel like taste, and is rich in many trace minerals. The maca is an excellent hormonal and energy tonic. And vitex! This one is optional, as it is tricker to find (my come from my gorgeous friend Sarah Cowell who harvested these for me) but Southern Light Herbs or Tasmanian Highland Herbs can send them to you.

I’ve written all about vitex over here.

Luna Herbal Coffee

2 parts Dandelion root, roasted
2 parts Chicory root, roasted
1/2 part Maca powder
1/2 part Carob powder, roasted
1/2 part Vitex berries (optional)
1/2 part turkey tail mushrooms (optional)

Combine all ingredients and keep in an airtight container. Add 2 teaspoons to 1 cup of boiled water. Allow to steep for 4-7 minutes. Add some honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar (if you like a little sweetness) and some milk.

To get the most out of the hormone regulating properties of vitex, have a cup every morning around about the same time.

Some more notes on going off coffee….

If cold turkey is your style, I recommend timing it for a weekend where you can go slow . If you’re experiencing headaches and you find yourself instinctively reaching for the coffee pot, reach for a big glass of water and the panadol instead. A naturopath telling me to take panadol you say? Indeed I am! In terms of cost/benefit analysis, the panadol wins over in this instance, and you’ll only need to take it for a couple of days. It will make it that bit easier to get you through.

You can also wean yourself down by going half decaf half coffee, and increasing the percentage of decaf daily until you can let both of them go.

Day 1: Switch to 1/2 decaf 1/2 regular coffee
Day 2: Cut your amount of cups by half (if you’re a 2 cup drinker, go down to 1 cup, if you’re a 1 cup drinker, go to 1⁄2, etc).
Day 3: Go full decaf.
Day 4: Kick the habit completely – and switch to Luna Herbal Coffee!

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