Green Tea Extract And Vitamin D In The Therapy Of Fibroids

Green tea extract has been part of the naturopathic treatment of fibroids and endometriosis for many years. In a current study, the effect of the green tea extract was optimized with vitamins D and B6 and the fibroids shrank significantly and the symptoms improved.

Green tea extract and vitamins shrink fibroids

Fibroids are benign growths in the muscle wall of the uterus. They usually develop between the ages of 35 and 50. In many women, fibroids remain asymptomatic and cause no symptoms. However, one-third of affected women experience symptoms, depending on the location of the fibroids or fibroid.

Pain and heavy menstrual bleeding are common. If the fibroid presses on the bladder, it can also cause problems with the bladder (e.g. frequent bladder infections), the kidneys, or the intestines (e.g. constipation). Fibroids can even cause back pain when they press on the related nerves.

Conventional medicine treats it with medication or surgery. The drugs used can have numerous (even severe) side effects, so there is great interest in gentle but effective alternatives. For a number of years, naturopathic research has focused, among other things, on green tea extract, but also vitamin D. In studies, both agents were able to independently inhibit the development of fibroids and shrink existing fibroids.

Vitamin D in the therapy of fibroids

Studies from 2013 showed, for example, that a vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of fibroids and can accelerate the growth of existing fibroids. Another study three years later found that giving vitamin D to women who were previously vitamin D deficient could inhibit the growth of existing fibroids. We have summarized details (including the administered vitamin D dose in our article on the holistic therapy of fibroids).

Green tea extract is a natural remedy for fibroids

The first study using green tea extract in fibroid therapy dates back to 2013. In the placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 33 fibroid patients took either a placebo or 800 mg of green tea extract with a 45 percent EGCG content (equivalent to around 360 mg EGCG).

EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is the main active ingredient in green tea extract. It is a powerful antioxidant plant substance with an anti-cancer effect, which can also prove to be extremely helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, but also in the therapy of fibroids.

In the placebo group, the fibroids grew by an average of 24.3 percent, while the fibroids in the green tea extract group experienced an average shrinkage of 32.6 percent. The women’s quality of life also improved here, they had less pain, their monthly blood loss was lower and the anemia (low blood count) experienced by many women decreased, which was not the case in the placebo group. The green tea extract had no side effects.

Charité study: Green tea extract stops the growth of fibroids

A study (observation of use) with green tea extract for fibroids was also carried out at the Berlin Charité. 40 fibroid patients were to take a green tea extract capsule containing 130 mg EGCG three times a day for six months (a total daily dose of 390 mg EGCG). The first results are expected in spring 2021, so we will report on them here shortly.

In an interview, however, Rebekka Biro, a doctoral student at the Charité women’s clinic and a scientist involved in the study, already revealed the following: “… At the moment, the tendency is for the growth of fibroids to stagnate in the majority of patients who take green tea, However, more precise information can only be given after all patients have been evaluated…”

Green tea extract and vitamins: fibroids shrink by almost 35 percent

In autumn 2020, a study was published for the first time in which both naturopathic remedies (green tea extract and vitamin D) were combined. In addition, vitamin B6 was added, which i.a. can contribute to the breakdown of excess estrogen – because estrogen dominance can massively promote the formation of fibroids. The study appeared in the journal European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences and was conducted by researchers from the University of Messina.

Participants in the study were 30 women with an average age of 37 years suffering from symptomatic fibroids. The fibroids were larger than 2 cubic centimeters and increased menstrual bleeding, abdominal pain, and fatigue.

The women were divided into two groups. Group 1 acted as a control group, i.e. took nothing, while the other group received two tablets each containing 25 μg/1000 IU vitamin D, 150 mg EGCG, and 5 mg vitamin B6 daily for four months.

At the end of the study, the size of the fibroids in Group 2 had shrunk by 34.7 percent. The symptoms subsided and the quality of life of these women improved accordingly. Heavy bleeding no longer occurred and 7 out of 8 women who previously had abdominal pain were now almost pain-free. In the control group, on the other hand, the fibroids had grown by 6.9 percent. The complaints remained the same.

Treat fibroids and endometriosis naturally with green tea extract and vitamins

The combined administration of green tea extract with vitamins D and B6 seems to be a highly recommended naturopathic measure that can be integrated into any fibroid therapy.

As can be seen from the studies above, between 300 and 390 mg of EGCG (green tea extract) are required daily, divided into two or three daily doses. When it comes to vitamin D, we recommend first having the current status measured and, depending on your personal vitamin D level, determining the dose to be taken, because 1000 IU (as taken in the study above) could possibly be too little if already there is a pronounced vitamin D deficiency. In the previous link, we have described what you should consider when taking the correct dosage and intake of vitamin D.

Green tea extract and side effects

The so-called guidelines currently like to warn against green tea extract, as it can damage the liver. However, corresponding effects could only be observed if someone had taken overdoses over a longer period of time, as is probably the case occasionally when green tea extracts are taken to lose weight. In the past, these were often also high-dose alcoholic preparations.

The safe maximum daily dose of EGCG given by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is 800 mg. Such a high dose cannot be achieved with the fibroid therapy presented here.

How to increase the bioavailability of green tea extract

Occasionally one reads that the bioavailability of EGCG is very low and that the plant substance can therefore not do much. In the meantime, however, we know that the bioavailability can be increased very well with piperine (an active ingredient from black pepper) and vitamin C. Therefore, look out for these two ingredients when purchasing green tea extract.

If you also take omega-3 fatty acids as a dietary supplement, you can take them together with the green tea extract, since the fatty acids also increase the bioavailability of the EGCG. Also choose soft, i.e. low-mineral water, since the simultaneous intake of minerals such as calcium and magnesium would in turn reduce the bioavailability.

Proper nutrition and other naturopathic measures for fibroids

In addition to individually suitable dietary supplements, however, the diet should definitely be changed to a plant-based, wholesome diet rich in vital substances and the overall lifestyle should be healthy, as we explain in our detailed article on naturopathic measures for fibroids.

Green tea extract and vitamin D for endometriosis

Green tea extract can also accompany the therapy of endometriosis very well. Here, too, the combination of vitamins D and B6 is ideal. On the one hand, vitamin D deficiency is also a risk factor in endometriosis, which can aggravate the symptoms. On the other hand, endometriosis is also a hormone-dependent disease, so the breakdown of excess estrogen through vitamin B6 is also welcome here.