Has anyone heard of Endo ex herbal remedy? Is this another fad or is it worth trying?

[Croydebay]

Been in a lot of pain again lately and more surgery really isn't a route I wan to go down If I can help it so desperation has led me to researching the internet again and found this? Never heard of it before but wondered is it was any good and if anyone had ever tried it or could recommend any herbal remedies for the pain. All I'm on is cerelle (progesterone only pill) which has supressed bleeding but still get a lot of pain 6 months post op and am struggling x

[Impatient]

yes have heard of it and no it isn't good for endo.

Endo-EX Ingredients from their own website : Agnus Castus, Dong Quai /Angelica Senensis, Silybum marianus /milk thistle, Wild Yam /dioscorea villosa and viburnum opulus.

Any remedy that uses natural ingredients that claims 100% no side effects its a warning sign from the get go. Any food or drug can cause side effects in some people and should never claim 100% no side effects. Besides that this herbal sure had side effects with almost every ingredient.

Agnus Castus (been discussed a few times on the forum already)

webmd.com/vitamins-suppleme...

stated warning "Hormone-sensitive condition such as endometriosis; uterine fibroids; or cancer of the breast, uterus, or ovaries: Vitex agnus-castus can affect hormones and might affect estrogen levels. Don’t use vitex agnus-castus if you have a hormone-sensitive condition."

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Same website checked for Wild yam (dioscorea villosa)

"Hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Wild yam might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don’t use wild yam."

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Dong Quai (angelica senensis)

"Hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Dong quai might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don’t use dong quai."

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Milk Thistle (Silybum marianus)

"Hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Extracts from milk thistle PLANT might act like estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by exposure to estrogen, don’t use these extracts. In contrast, the more commonly used milk thistle SEED extracts do not seem to act like estrogen."

but after all of than on the bright side - viburnum opulus seems to be the one and only safe ingredient as far as endo is concerned !!!

Give this one a miss.

It is going to make you feel better and given women a positive experience in the sorter term because of the additional estradiols encouraging oestrogen production which endo will love you to have.

You do feel better with oestrogen, no doubt about that - we all do, but it's the one hormone that we need to reduce in the body to avoid feeding the endo.

Save the WebMD website.

when you find a herbal remedy claiming it's good for endo - research the actual ingredients list. Then go to WebMD and type in the ingredients one by one and look on side effects and interactions etc.

Then armed with that info, you are in a better position to make a decision before spending any money on something that may infact have the opposite effect to what you were hoping...or what the manufacturer was claiming.

[koffeekat99]

Hi. If you want to try the herbal route the best way to do it is to go to a medical herbalist who is a member of a professional organisation such as the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH).

The post below refers to a website which is ok. However, the problem is that a lot of the risks discussed are 'theoretical' only. Note the use of the terms 'possibly' and 'might'. It may be because there is no evidence either way as to whether it it harmful or not.

An example is that Angelica sinensis (Dong quai) can be stated as not appropriate in heavy periods as it can increase blood flow. However, it also thins the blood so is used by some herbalists in heavy clotty periods if other aspects discussed with a patient indicate this is appropriate. Other medications would also be considered, so it wouldn't be appropriate to use it with blood thinning meds for example. It's actually not as simple as looking at one effect a herb has and you do need to consider all of the effects and whether it is right for you and your circumstances. (Note that I am NOT recommending the use of Angelica if you have a clotty period as all of your circumstances need to be considered to decide whether it is right for you - that would need to be done through a detailed discussion with you).

This is a difference that a medical herbalist will consider and will discuss with you. It's one of the problems of trying to use the internet to treat yourself. As the poster below says it is dangerous to say that there are no side effects - for some people an effect that is wanted could be classed as a side effect (in the example above someone with a clotty period may want to thin their blood, but someone taking bloodthinning meds will not want to thin their blood any further).

Websites such as 'webmd' will want to cover themselves and so will say there is a risk. But as we are all different this doesn't always translate well on a website which is trying to say something generic. Also bear in mind that they don't give any indication of dosage which is actually quite important. Agnus castus is often given as 'drop dosage' which means that it is given in small amounts. The amount in a capsule will be much higher and may not be appropriate for everyone.

The use of the term 'herbalist' in the UK is not yet protected. Hence, go via a professional organisation where there is a minimum requirement for training and clinical experience to be accepted into the profession.

Although I agree that the use of generic capsules bought off the internet may not be the best solution, this doesn't mean that all herbal medicine should be ruled out. If you want to consider herbal medicine speak to someone with experience and knowledge in this area and they might be able to help.