Oestrogen (or Estrogen) is a steroid hormone found in humans and other animal, primarily in females. It controlsanatomical development and physiology of organs and processes associated withfertility and childbearing, but has other functions too,  

There is evidence that oestrogen of human origin can possibly affect plant growth and may even inducing stress tolerance (Abdeel et al, 2017). However, the topic this week is not oestrogen but phytoestrogen – produced by plants. These molecules are not “plant hormones”, but some of hundreds phytochemicals that plants produce; the phytoestrogens are the ones that happen to have “oestrogen-like” effects in animal.

The molecules recognised as phytohormones are primarily flavonoids. The best known is #genistein, a major isoflavone in soybean. Other common botanicalsources include red clover (Trifolium pratense), hops (Humulus lupulus), black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and Chinese angelica (A. sinensis).

Phytoestrogen-rich botanicals are proposed as dietary suppplements fortreating cancer ((see Pierson 2003), and dietary consumption of soybean is implicated in the low rate of breast cancer in oriental women.

On the other hand, there are suggestionsthat phytoestrogen in soy-basedinfant formulas can affect the development of female-related behavioural traits(Tillet, 2011). The surprise here is that they seem to make the girls lessgirlish but do not seem to affect the boys.

Topical application of phytoestrogen is proposed to alleviate ageing of skin in post-menopausal women (Lephart, & Naftolin, 2021). Green Mountain Biotech products are made from liquorice, angelica (both mentioned above) and other medicinal plants selected for their beneficial effects on the skin … for both women and men!

Further reading

Wikipedia  (2022) “Estrogen”, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Estrogen&oldid=1106115839

Adeel, Muhammad et al.(2017) “Environmental impact of estrogens on human, animal and plant life: Acritical review.” Environment international vol. 99: 107-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.12.010

Wikipedia (2022) “Phytoestrogen”,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phytoestrogen&oldid=1104822254

Piersen C. E.(2003). Phytoestrogens in botanical dietary supplements: implications for cancer. Integrative cancer therapies, 2(2), 120–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735403002002004

Tillett, Tanya (2011) “Full of beans? Early soy exposure associated with less feminine play in girls.” Environmental health perspectives vol. 119,12: A525. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.119-a525b

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