Agnus castus v. Starflower Oil

[upthegardenpath]

Which do you prefer?
I am suffering from very bad water retention in the days around ovulation and just after my period for a 3-4 days. Not as part of actual PMT though.
Having acupuncture which is slowly helping.
Wanted to try some hormone-regulating natural pill, but not sure which to try...
Definitely not perimenopausal btw (have had hormonal tests recently).
Thanks

I've only tried starflower oil, and I was trying it because it was supposed to help regulate temperature, but it did make my periods slightly more manageable, which was an unexpected bonus. Try both and see which works?

I have a bottle of unopened agnus castus here - I've heard fantastic reviews. I think it can take up to three months to notice an improvement. I want to take it but can't seem to get an answer as to whether it's safe to take with my current medication.
I know vitamin b6 can help regulate hormones.
I'd give both an equal shot for three months to see which works. Can they be taken together maybe?

Agnus castus is effective at treating pmt issues, but it also can cause problems. I found it disrupted my cycle and caused mid cycle bleeding. Consultant gynae told me to stop taking it, and that it shouldn't be taken lightly. Some research suggests it can also affect ovulation, ie. More than one egg at a time. I would say that if you are not planning to try and conceive in the future, and if your problems are really affecting you badly, it may be worth taking, but under advice from a doctor who understands the drug ( they are rare). I am sorry I don't know anything about starflower oil.

if a doctor isn't very knowledgeable on agnus castus, who else is? I want to try it but I don't think my doctor knows much about it at all. The only other place I can think of is Holland and barret and I don't know how trained they are.

It is difficult, in some countries I think Agnus castus is a prescription drug, maybe Germany. Here, though, it is not really something doctors are trained on. I was lucky that because I saw a consultant in that field he knew of it. Some doctors may know about it though. Holland and Barrett probably not going to have the full picture, but they may have access to some basic info on interactions.

Sorry to hijack the thread OP! I'd say agnus castus AND primrose oil. I'm going for it. If it fails, there is a low dose contraceptive pill called eloine which has a derivative of a diuretic in it which can reduce bloating and pmt. hope this helps!

Thanks for all the advice - blimey temporary I had no idea about the side effects of agnus c. That's a bit worrying! Not sure about taking both - can they possibly 'disagree' or compete with one another?!
realitea I was on the normal Pill for 15 odd years, gave it up in 2005 and although that is when i started getting my first bouts of water retention, I also do like the fact that my body is doing its own thing, hormonally speaking - even if sometimes it is a bit shit at it . I really don't fancy being back on artificial hormones and am hoping that regular acupuncture, plus a side kick of something more natural, may be all I need...I think I'll read about agnus a bit more, then take starflower in the meantime.
I tried something new yesterday too - dandelion tea - not a hormone regulator at all, but just a natural diuretic. I took a couple of mugs in the daytime and I had much less retention at night. Possibly coincidence, but I will keep going with it anyway!
If anyone else has any more words of wisdom, please share.
Thank you