Hormonal shifts are a natural part of every woman’s life, from menstruation to menopause. While these transitions can bring challenges—like PMS, mood swings, hot flashes, and sleep issues—Ayurveda offers powerful tools to restore balance gently and effectively. Understanding the root causes through an Ayurvedic lens can help women navigate hormonal changes with more ease and vitality. These are natural phases of life, when acknowledged, can be dealt with at ease.
The Ayurvedic View on Hormonal Imbalance
Ayurveda sees hormonal health as deeply connected to the balance of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha governs specific physiological and emotional functions:
Vata (air + ether) regulates movement, nervous system activity, and elimination.
Pitta (fire + water) governs metabolism, digestion, and transformation.
Kapha (earth + water) supports structure, lubrication, and emotional stability.
Hormonal imbalances arise when these doshas go out of sync due to imbalanced diet, stress, lifestyle, environmental toxins, and disharmony between our body-mind-spirit.
PMS
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) often reflects a Vata-Pitta imbalance, especially in the nervous and reproductive systems. Symptoms like anxiety, irritability, bloating, cramps, and insomnia point to excess Vata (irregularity and dryness) and Pitta (inflammation and intensity). We must remember that in a healthy woman, PMS symptoms typically should go almost unnoticed - which is uncommon these days because most people are out of balance!
Ayurvedic Support:
Diet: Favor warm, cooked, grounding foods like stews, kitchari, and root vegetables. Include lots of ginger to promote circulation and reduce inflammation. Avoid caffeine and refined sugar which increases inflammation and avoid cold/raw foods which dampens agni.
Lifestyle: Balance activity with rest, gentle movement (like yoga or walking), and routine (dinacharya). Self-massage (abhyanga) with warm sesame oil calms Vata. Castor oil packs can reduce inflammation and strengthen digestion.
Herbs: Many of the root adaptagens like Shatavari, Aswagandha, Licorice help soothe the nervous system, tone the reproductive system and manage anxiety and fatigue. When to take them, how much and when is all part of a customized Ayurvedic health plan as each herb has unique actions.
Perimenopause: A Vata Surge
In perimenopause (the transitional years before menopause), Vata becomes dominant, leading to irregular periods, mood instability, dryness, brain fog, and sleep disturbances. Stress, multitasking, and overexertion can aggravate these symptoms. There is no set age, but typically this starts 40+ but can even start earlier in some individuals.
Ayurvedic Support:
Diet: Eat nourishing and grounding foods—think ghee, avocados, cooked grains, and spiced milk with nutmeg.
Lifestyle: Stick to a calming daily routine. Prioritize sleep, warm baths, and restorative practices like yoga nidra or meditation.
Herbs: Shatavari remains a foundational herb, supporting estrogen balance and vitality. Vitex plays a role with supporting progesterone while Brahmi soothes the mind and nervous system.
It is very crucial to implement rejuvenation treatments at this phase since if addressed early, it paves way for a smooth menopause. Many women however, don’t realize these hormonal changes are at the root of their symptoms and often don’t seek treatment until they feel they are losing control over their health.
Menopause: Fire Meets Air
As menstruation ends, women may experience hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and thinning tissues. This is a combined Pitta-Vata imbalance—Pitta’s fire shows up in heat and frustration, while Vata contributes to dryness, instability and unexplained anxiety.
Ayurvedic Support:
Diet: Emphasize cooling, hydrating, and grounding foods like cucumbers, leafy greens, dates and ghee. Spices such as saffron, coriander and fennel are also supportive. Mung beans are excellent for liver cleansing as well. Avoid alcohol, spicy food, and stimulants.
Lifestyle: Embrace a slower rhythm. Practice self-care rituals that calm and cool—moon salutations, journaling, or cooling pranayama like Sheetali breath.
Herbs: Shatavari, Licorice, Ashoka, Kumari and Amalaki are all excellent as customized based on your dosha type and health concerns. These herbs nourish and lubricate tissues while supporting hormone balance and liver detox.
Holistic Tips for All Hormonal Stages
Regardless of age or health status, these Ayurvedic tips support hormonal resilience:
Eat with the seasons and honor your digestion and dosha—don’t skip meals or eat late at night.
Sleep is sacred—aim for 7–8 hours of quality rest before 10 p.m.
Acknowledge stressful factors: unravel old patterns through daily breathwork, nature time, or creative expression.
Stay hydrated with warm herbal teas like CCF, lemon balm, ginger, or chamomile.
Track your cycle or symptoms with a journal to notice patterns and respond early.
Final Thoughts
Ayurveda reminds us that hormonal changes are not problems to fix, but natural shifts to honor. By listening to your body, staying in rhythm with nature, and nourishing yourself deeply, you can experience your hormonal journey not as a burden—but as a gateway to greater wisdom and balance.
Dr. Leena Sripada, ND, AAWC is an experienced naturopathic doctor & Ayurvedic practitioner who blends the best of both healing systems. She integrates the abundance of health information into a relevant, practical approach for patients to promote deeper health transformation in individuals who are seeking positive challenge and change.
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