Natural Breast Augmentation
Augmentation of the breasts without implants, for the most part, is not done reliably by any of several methods. However, many women are afraid of the surgical process of augmentation mammaplasty with implants and prefer to try the other methods. They are:
FAT (LIPO) INJECTIONS: I mention this only to condemn the procedure. In theory, it could work, but in reality, the volume of fat required to enlarge the breasts is excessive for the fat to develop a new blood supply -- and this is essential in order for it to work. Fat injections are used primarily in the face and lips and in regions requiring a very small augmentation. Volumes of from 1 to 5cc placed in tiny packets at differing levels in the tissue planes can be expected to develop a blood supply and therefore, "take". Larger volumes create "lakes" of fat which are too large for the newly developing blood vessels to penetrate, and all of the fat in the center of these lakes will die ("necrose") and turn into fatty oils which will eventually be absorbed by the body. The real problem with doing this in the breast is that often, this process leaves scattered deposits of Calcium which on X-ray can look deceptively like a developing cancer (even though it isn't). Once noted, a biopsy must be done to be certain that it is NOT a cancer. Since these deposits will not "go away" in time, you will always be in doubt!
HERBAL OR "NATURAL" TREATMENTS: While probably harmless, there are no true scientific studies to support the use of the herbals to enlarge a woman's breasts, though there are many anecdotal reports of their efficacy. The common ingredients are as follows: Saw Palmetto, Damiana, Fenugreek, Black Cohosh, Dong Quai, Licorice Root, Wild Yam, Fennel, Blessed Thistle, Red Clover.
Saw Palmetto
Fast Facts: improves digestion, supports gland function, used as sexual stimulant and to increase the size of small breasts.
Saw palmetto is now a popular and effective treatment for prostate enlargement in men but its origins in natural medicine was as a breast enlarger and it is still recommended today by naturopathic physicians for increasing breast size. It is also used as an aphrodisiac, for the treatment of impotence in men, and for inhibited sexual desire in women.
Saw palmetto has been used for centuries. Native Americans, dating back to pre-Mayan civilizations, used the berries for food and medicine. Early American botanists noted that animals who were fed with these berries grew sleek and robust. Saw palmetto is useful as a nutritive tonic, supporting the function of a healthy appetite and smooth digestion.
Active compounds: steroidal saponins, fatty acids, phytosterols, volatile oil, resin, tannins.
Damiana
Fast Facts: balance female hormones, mild stimulant, restores natural sexual capacities and functions.
This herb has been used by herbalists as a mild and safe aphrodisiac for both men and women.
Active compounds: volatile oil, hydrocyanic glycoside, tannin, and resin.
Fenugreek
Fast facts: increases breast size and health, minimizes symptoms of menopause, relieves constipation, soothes sore throat pain and coughs, eases minor indigestion, increases breast size and milk production in nursing mothers.
From ancient times through the late 19th century, fenugreek played a major role in herbal healing. Then it fell by the wayside. Now things are once again looking up for the herb whose taste is an odd combination of bitter celery and maple syrup. The ancient Greeks fed this herb to horses and cattle. The Romans then started using it, too, calling it "Greek hay." (In Latin, "Greek hay" is foenum-graecum, and that evolved into "fenugreek." In India, the herb was incorporated into curry blends. India's traditional Ayurvedic physicians prescribed it to nursing mothers to increase their milk. In American folk medicine, fenugreek was considered a potent menstruation promoter. It became a key ingredient in Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound -- one of 19th-century America's most popular patent medicines for "female weakness" (menstrual discomforts). Today, fenugreek is most widely used in the United States as a source of imitation maple flavor. But this may change as its medicinal value becomes better known.
Almost a century after Lydia Pinkham's death, scientists have confirmed that fenugreek seeds contain chemicals (diosgenin and estrogenic isoflavones) similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. Loss of estrogen causes menopausal symptoms, so adding fenugreek to the diet helps to minimize them. Estrogen can also cause breast swelling. "One woman told me her breasts grew larger after she started eating fenugreek sprouts," says James A. Duke, Ph.D., a botanist retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Dr. Duke has since investigated this effect and has written about it in his book "The Green Pharmacy".
For centuries rumors have floated out of the Middle East that harem women were fed fenugreek seed to make them more buxom. This turns out to be more than mere hearsay. The seeds, in addition to female steroid precursors, also contain compounds that increase the production of milk. Since the seeds contain diosgenin and other plant phytoestrogens, Fenugreek provides a mastogenic effect resulting in the growth of healthy breast tissue.
Black Cohosh
Fast Facts: helps to relieve PMS and menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes.
Long recommended for "female complaints," this herb contains phytoestrogenic substances that help relieve menopause discomforts, especially hot flashes. Black cohosh grew wild in the Ohio River valley and was used by American Indian women for gynaecological complaints and childbirth.
German Commission E has found black cohosh to be effective for the treatment of PMS and dysmenorrhea, as well as nervous conditions associated with menopause.
Black cohosh has been used historically in numerous musculoskeletal complaints from trauma to rheumatism. It was used by the native Americans, and the early American eclectic physicians picked up on its use. Black cohosh is a vascular and neuralgic antispasmodic. It also has spasmolytic and anti-inflammatory effects on the uterus. It is useful preventing miscarriage and premature labor. Black cohosh contains the anti-inflammatory salicylic acid, making it useful in pain of an inflammatory origin , as well as a variety of gynaecological complaints. It is also thought to have an estrogenic effect via a reduction in release of LH by the pituitary, and via a weakly estrogenic isoflavone constituent, formonetine. The specific indications are for nervous people with heavy limbs and crampy uterine pains across the pelvis radiating down the thighs. Since black cohosh is also used for arthritic and rheumatic complaints, menstrual and pelvic pain having a stiff, sore, radiating character are specifically covered by this remedy.
Active compounds: isoflavones, triterpene glycosides, 27-deoxyactein, cimicifugoside.
Dong Quai
Fast Facts: good balancer of hormonal system, aids in digestion, used as a tonic to improve well being and mental harmony.
Dong Quai Extract is the supreme female tonic in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used successfully to alleviate PMS and menopausal symptoms by helping to normalize hormone levels. Scientists believe that one unique mechanism of action of dong quai is to promote natural progesterone synthesis. Progesterone is a hormone whose production declines at menopause. Progesterone is more important than estrogen for preventing and treating osteoporosis because progesterone is directly involved in the production of bone-forming cells called osteoblasts. Dong Quai contains highly active phytoestrogens, although these compounds are much lower in activity than animal hormones.
Dong Quai is useful in gynaecological complaints including infertility, PMS, dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia, amenorrhea, chronic miscarriage, and menopausal complaints, as well as allergies and respiratory complaints. It also acts strongly on the female reproductive organs, but the action is not thought to be hormonal, and phytosterols have been isolated. Rather, Dong Quai is believed to increase metabolism within the uterus and ovaries. Cellular activity within the female reproductive organs is stimulated and the utilization of glucose and the synthesis of DNA is observed to increase in these organs. Dong Quai has also been credited with immune enhancing, and anti-tumor activity. Other species of this herb, including the European Angelica archangelica common to herb and ornamental gardens, and the Japanese Angelica acutiloba have similar, though not identical properties.
Active compounds are: various coumarins, essential oils, and flavonoids.
Licorice Root
Fast Facts: stimulates immune system, strengthens respiratory system, relieves female complaints.
All Natural Curves also contains an extract of licorice root called glycyrrhizic acid. This substance possesses high estrogenic activity, in addition to other properties which indicate its usefulness for a number of other maladies. Chinese practitioners have been using it for over 3,000 years to treat a variety of ailments. Studies show that glycyrrhetic acid has anti-peroxidation, anti-viral, anti-allergy, and anti-inflammatory activity, and that it protects the liver and has promise as an anticancer therapy. But, importantly for menopausal women, it is a potent source of safe and effective estrogen.
This extremely useful and versatile herb contains estrogenic saponins and is considered to be amphoteric. Some authors list licorice root as progesteronic as well as estrogenic. It contains a cortisone-like constituent and also inhibits the breakdown of cortisone in the liver. A concomitant pseudoaldosterone action may cause retention of fluid and elevation of blood pressure. A Japanese study showed positive results in the treatment or oligomenorrhea due to elevated androgens relative to estrogens.
Active compounds: glycyrrhizic acid.
Wild Yam
Fast Facts: helps relieve PMS and menopausal symptoms, promotes hormonal balance.
Wild yam contains the estrogenic substances diosgenin and pregnenolone. Wild yam also has antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties due in part to cortisone-like constituents. Diosgenin itself, is weakly antispasmodic. Wild yam has been used to allay nausea due to high hormone levels. This may be due to competition for estrogen receptor sites by diosgenin. Wild yam is especially indicated for spastic uterine contractions with nausea, boring pain radiating from the umbilicus outward, and pain that is better with pressure. It is one of the primary raw materials used to synthesize natural estrogens and progesterones.
Active compounds: diosgenin, pregnenolone.
Fennel
Fast Facts: works as an appetite suppressant, promotes lactation, stabilizes the nervous system and moves waste out of the body.
Fennel has been used for centuries to enhance breast size and to promote milk production in new mothers. It is second only to Fenugreek in estrogenic compounds and can be consumed, used in tea, or added to lotion and massaged directly into the breasts. Fennel is also used to treat amenorrhea, angina, asthma, heartburn, high blood pressure and to increase sexual desire in women.
Active compounds are: anethole, fenchone, and limonene.
Blessed Thistle
Fast Facts: increases mother's milk, promotes oxygenation, aids circulation and liver function, hormone balancer.
This plant has been used by herbalists to increase the flow of milk in breast feeding. It also reportedly breaks up blood clots, relieves jaundice, and increases appetite.
Active compounds: tannin, lactone, mucilage, and essential oil.
Red Clover
Fast Facts: effective blood cleanser, calms nervous conditions, hormone balancer.
This herb contains 1 to 2.5 percent isoflavones. In one study, postmenopausal women who ingested clover, flaxseed, and soy for two weeks had demonstrably higher estrogen levels, which declined when they discontinued the special diet.
Active compounds: isoflavones, formononetin.
While I do not endorse breast augmentation with herbals, I provide the following link to those who would like to try this natural method: Hormonal stimulation: The good news is that there will be some breast size increase with hormones. The bad news is that the long-term effects of hormones is known to have adverse effects on the human body. This method of breast enlargement is dangerous and should be avoided! Creams: In theory, active ingredients of creams can be absorbed through the skin to affect the target organ (in this case, the breast). Some newer generations of creams use a facilitator to improve the trans-dermal penetration of the cream. However, in reality there is very little evidence that continued use of ANY type of cream will permanently enlarge the breasts.
