Top 5 Herbs for Thyroid Health You Need to Know
The thyroid gland plays a crucial role in health regulation and bodily functions. Through the hormones secreted, the thyroid gland forms part of the major glands in the body. However, thyroid functioning is often hindered, and taking good care of it is essential to keeping the endocrine gland in check.
One way to ensure its proper functioning is to add herbs for thyroid to your feeding routines. That doesn't mean that herbs take up the roles of thyroid hormones in the body. Instead, these herbs help boost your thyroid health and reduce the risk of an infection.
Today we learn about the importance of the thyroid gland, its functions, and the essential herbs for thyroid glands that complement the thyroid gland.
What Does the Thyroid Do?
So, before we get down to the herbs for thyroid, let’s take a quick look at how vital the thyroid gland is. It’s important to note that the thyroid hormones affect every organ in the body. That should give you an idea of how important the gland is.
Moving on, the thyroid gland's primary functions include regulating the body’s rate of metabolism. In other words, the thyroid gland regulates how quickly or slowly your body converts food into energy.
At the same time, thyroid hormones regulate body temperature, raising or lowering it when needed. Another function is the regulation of the heart rate. These are significant functions influenced by the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
Speaking of proper thyroid functioning, some herbs help you keep your thyroid gland in check.
Herbs For Thyroid Health Boost
Ashwagandha
You may have people talk about winter cherry or Indian ginseng; these are other names that ashwagandha goes by. And the term itself is coined from the smell of its roots (like a horse). Ashwagandha is essential for reducing inflammation in the body.
Generally speaking, ashwagandha is added to the diet to reduce stress levels and boost energy. As regards its effect on the thyroid, the herb is helpful for its anti-inflammatory properties. As we know, the key to maintaining the proper functioning of any organ is reducing inflammation.
Therefore, the anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the neuroprotective benefits of this herb, help boost your thyroid health. A perk of this herb is that every part of it proves helpful, from the leaves to the roots and seeds. It can be taken as a capsule, powder form, or liquid extract.
Bugleweed
Next on our list of herbs for thyroid gland is a common herb found in Europe and Asia. This deep purplish-blue herb is another of nature's gifts to those looking to boost their thyroid health. Although few kinds of research have been conducted on humans, the herb has been linked with thyroid-related situations.
Just like ashwagandha, this herb possesses anti-inflammatory properties and antimicrobial and anti-parasitic effects. Furthermore, the herb is mainly used in cases where over-secretion of thyroid hormones occurs.
Bugleweed is not necessarily a drug for such a scenario; however, it does aid with the symptoms and help boost thyroid health. There's no standard dosage for this herb, but a 20mg dosage is advisable.
Eleuthero
We've discussed Indian ginseng (Ashwagandha), and now it's time to discuss Siberian ginseng. It is one of many traditional herbs for thyroid gland found in Korean, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese regions. And it’s majorly employed as an adaptogen. In other words, it helps the body handle and deal with stress better.
Also, eleuthero is often implemented as an immune system booster. Therefore, adding this herb to your diet helps improve your overall being, combat infections, and help in response to stress and injuries. In other cases, this herb serves as a stimulant.
You can get the extracts from this herb in capsules, tablets, or liquid tinctures. You can also make use of the leaves by boiling them as tea. Eleuthero is most commonly found in multivitamins and tonics.
Nettle
Another example of herbs for thyroid to add to your diet is the nettle, or stinging nettle as it’s commonly called. This herb is characterized by sharp hair-like structures on its leaves. It's also interesting to note that stinging nettle contains many chemicals, each affecting the human body, including the thyroid gland.
Like every other herb on this list, stinging nettle is helpful for its anti-inflammatory properties. It’s an herb used by many for boosting their thyroid health as it aids with proper functioning and reduces the risk of inflammation.
Stinging nettle can be applied in a variety of ways. It can be applied topically on the skin, or you can use the leaves to make tea and drink. Also, the extracts of this herb are in capsule or tincture form.
Black Cumin
Other names for this herb are black seed oil, black onion seeds, black caraway, and kalonji. As an herb, it’s derived from the Nigella sativa plant and can be used in multiple ways. For instance, black cumin can be added to your food as a seasoning or for flavoring bread.
Moving on, the most crucial component of black cumin is thymoquinone. Thymoquinone is essential as it packs antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that contribute to the proper working of the thyroid gland and overall well-being.
As stated earlier, black cumin can be added to your cooking. At the same time, it can be used for baking and making beverages. Also, extracts of black cumin come in capsules or as oils for applying topically on the skin.
What Else Do You Need to Know About Thyroid Health?
While herbs for thyroid serve complementary dietary needs, they aren't the only solution to a healthy gland. In essence, you need to adopt other habits and routines to ensure your thyroid stays in great shape. These include:
- Keeping your iodine intake at a healthy level
- Encouraging the use of probiotics.
- Reducing the amount of sugar intake
- Improving your exercise regimen; and
- Managing stress levels
Conclusion
At the end of the day, we all want a healthy lifestyle, and maintaining this lifestyle entails taking care of your body. And with an endocrine gland as important and influential as the thyroid gland, ensuring your diet contains the best nutrients is of utmost importance.