What follows is a summary of herbs and supplements commonly, or uncommonly used for breast enhancement. I have limited those listed to supplements that are commonly available to North America, since the more exotic ones can only be found in Asia, are extremely difficult to find and expensive, and generally are no more effective than the ones obtainable in the US.
If you've been doing any 'window-shopping' for a breast enhancement program, I'm sure you will have run into many of these names in the ingredients lists of products such as 'Gro-Bust' and 'QuickBust'. As a consumer myself, I'd like to share with you the actions of these ingredients and give you a brief description of how they work (and why they may not) as well as provide information on how to use them:
1. FENUGREEK SEEDS have a centuries-old folk reputation as a breast enlarger. Fenugreek seeds contain a lot of 'diosgenin', a chemical compound that's often used to create semisynthetic forms of the female sex hormone estrogen. Fenugreek can also lower blood sugar, which can be problematic in those with hypoglycemia, so caution should be used by those with the disorder or with Type II Diabetes.
2. FENNEL SEEDS contains terpanoids, a chemical that acts like an estrogen. Traditionally, fennel is used as a diuretic and a stomach ache remedy, but in Latin America it is used to increase milk flow. For breast enhancement purposes, fennel can be used in place of fenugreek for those who cannot tolerate it due to blood sugar imbalances.
3. RED CLOVER FLOWERS have been shown in medical studies to have very strong estrogenic binding activity specifically in breast tissue and have been shown to increase the proliferation of breast cells. Interestingly, chemical components in red clover also bind to progesterone receptors, but work there as an 'antagonist' - blocking progesterone and preventing it from buffering the growth affects of both estrogen and prolactin.
4. HOPS FLOWERS have also shown themselves in medical studies to bind easily to estrogen receptors in breast tissue. Traditionally, they are used as a soporific to aid sleep and relaxation.
5. PUERARIA MIRIFICA is a little known, but extremely powerful phytoestrogen that binds very specifically to estradiol beta-17 receptors - those receptors that are particularly responsible for breast development. Pueraria Mirifica is related to the American kudzu plant and has been used Asia for many years for natural ' HRT' . Cheap and easily available, pueraria mirifica could prove to be a quite an important player in the natural management of breast health and menopause, containing as it does the isoflavones puerarin, daidzin, genistin, daidzein, and genistein - all phytoestrogens
6. SAW PALMETTO is commonly known as a 'man's herb' and is currently being used in the management of benign prostate disorders. The mechanism for it's action is said to be that it blocks testosterone receptors at the organ site. There is oral tradition of it being used by Native American women for 'breast enlargement' though this seems like nonsense after some thought. However, it does seem to have a great deal of affect on hormone levels in both men and women. Women also have circulating testosterone, which normally is aromatized to estrogen in fatty tissues like the breasts. However, some women produce far too much testosterone, or do not produce the right internal conditions to convert it to estrogen (as in polycystic ovarian syndrome and hypothyroidism, for example). Although many 'Breast Enhancement' companies will tell you that circulating testosterone doesn't affect breast growth, and will even add ingredients to increase the amount (avena sativa and dong quai) for libido enhancement, for some women, this simply is not true. Testosterone strongly affects breast tissue. It is testosterone surges that destroy the prototype mammary gland cells in fetuses and newborns and prevents human males from developing functioning mammary glands. Transitional male-to-female transexuals are treated with anti-androgens as wells as estrogens before surgery so they can develop breasts. Some women find that saw palmetto alone is enough to block the actions of circulating testosterone, allowing their own natural endogenous estrogens the unhindered ability to increase breast tissue.
7. DAMIANA has been used for centuries as an aphrodisic and sexual tonic. It is known to bind with progesterone receptors in breast tissue, but rather than act as a progesterone, it blocks the receptors from receiving naturally-produced progesterone.This allows the free action of natural estrogens and prolactin in breast tissue.
8. WILD YAM has a reputation as a progesterone replacement'. However, the human body is incapable of producing a real progesterone from wild yam. Like damiana, though - the chemical components of wild yam fit progesterone receptors in breast tissue, and allow the free actions of estrogens and prolactin. Diosgenin can be extracted in laboratories to create a progesterone replacement, but in its unaltered form, it's action is completely different. Less research has been done on the 'phytoprogesterones' as opposed to countless studies on 'phytoestrogens' so the conclusions about the efficacy of wild yam are still pretty much - well - unconcluded. Preliminary studies have shown the wild yam is an 'antagonist' for progesterone receptors in breast cells - which means it blocks the receptor without creating a 'progesterone-like' effect. Since the purposes of receptors can vary from site to site, it is unknown how wild yam truly effects PMS and menstrual cramps. However, studies with wild yam specifically on breast tissue is that it works as an antagonist, blocking real progesterone from the receptors, and allowing estrogen to work on breast tissue unhindered.
9. BOVINE OVARY CONCENTRATE The use of bovine ovary concentrate ('BO') is derived from the old, turn-of-the-20th-century medical practice known as 'Glandular Therapy'. The 'Glandular' school of medicine proposed that patients with diseased organs who were fed with the corresponding organ from healthy livestock would enjoy a rejuvenation of that organ. Although it fell out of favor for many years, there are still currently some alternative medical practitioners that continue to recommend that their patients use glandular therapy. Traditional medical protocal still uses at least one form of glandular therapy - the use of the medication 'Armour' for hypothyroidism. Armour is basically a standardized form of bovine thyroid tissue. Interestingly enough, 'Glandular Therapy' has become quite popular recently in veterinary medicine - and is considered state-of-the-art and a preferred treatment for pets and livestock.
There are few commerical companies making use of bovine ovarian concentrate for breast enlargement. The exact mechanism of how 'BO' works for breast enlargement is unknown, though there are a couple of theories. 1) that it is a form of estrogen replacement. 2) that it contains enzymes and nutrients that feed the user's own ovaries. 3) that it stimulates the user's ovaries to produce more estrogen. 4) that it contains chemicals that affect the pituitary gland to produce LH and subsequently more estrogen. Likely, it is a combination of the four. Though how and why it works is not entirely clear, many women (including myself) find that it does indeed work very well. Women who are generally on the thin side find it works better for them than the herbal programs. These commercial products can be extremely expensive, ranging from $80 - $150 for a one-months supply of supplements. However, plain bovine ovarian concentrate supplements - not labeled for 'breast enlargement' - are available at a much reduced price (as low as $20-$25 dollars per month) and work every bit as well as the expensive supplements with the pictures of large-breasted women on the bottles.
Bovine Ovarian Concentrate should be considered an 'estrogenic' supplement. Although anti-androgens like saw palmetto, and progesterone-blockers like damiana and wild yam can be used along with bovine ovarian concentrate, 'BO' should generally not be used with phytoestrogens like red clover, fenugreek, kudzu or fennel. Usual dosage for 'BO' for breast enhancement is 1800 mgs per day, divided into 4 doses and taken with a meal or snack. Should this amount prove ineffective (i.e. no 'growing pains' after one month of use), dosage can be upped to 2200 or 2400 mgs per day.
Like all estrogenic supplements, 'BO' can interfere with thyroid function. So it is a good idea to monitor body temperatures on a regular basis and to supplement with kelp or tyrosine should your average body temperature drop below 97 degree.
