Natural Alternatives to Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid gland, found in the front of the neck, produces hormones to control metabolism. Various conditions may cause underactive thyroid, including hypothyroidism, Hashimoto disease, goiter, underactive pituitary gland, nutritional deficiencies, stress, and hormonal imbalance (estrogen/progesterone). Thyroid hormone levels should be checked with blood testing; doctors often prescribe artificial thyroid hormones as a treatment. Some natural remedies also can support healthy thyroid hormone levels, but only under the supervision of a health care professional.

Sea Vegetables

• Sea vegetables are rich in minerals and vitamins, including iodine, which is important for thyroid health and function. Calcium, magnesium, iron, protein, and essential fatty acids are also provided. Adding sea vegetables to your daily diet provides a range of oceanic nutrition in a digestible form. Edible sea vegetables include kelp, bladderwrack, nori, wakame, karengo, sea lettuce, and dulce. They can all be added to soups and salads, eaten with fish, or used as a salt replacement.

Bladderwrack Extract (fucus vesiculosus)

• Bladderwrack extract is made from a particular form of kelp and is used in herbal medicine to improve thyroid health. As long ago as 1910, a study published in the "Journal of Pharmacology" found that Bladderwrack stimulated the thyroid gland when taken internally. It can be taken as a tablet, tincture, or tea. Bladderwrack contains a variable level of iodine that depends on the water in which the Bladderwrack is grown.

Ashwaghanda Extract (withania somnifera)

• Ashwaghanda, also known as Indian ginseng, is recommended for stress, fatigue, and immune function but also has been investigated for its thyroid-stimulating properties. In a 1999 study published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," researchers found a significant increase in thyroid hormones in animals given ashwaghanda for 20 days. The recommended dosage is 6,000 mg of ashwaghanda extract daily when taken as a tincture, tablet, or dried root boiled into a tea.

Bacopa Extract (bacopa monierri)

• Bacopa is an Indian herbal remedy used to aid concentration, improve memory, and reduce anxiety. Research has suggested that bacopa may also stimulate a sluggish thyroid: A 2002 study published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" found that bacopa extract increased thyroid hormone levels 41 percent in animals. The recommended bacopa dosage is 4,000 mg daily in the form of a tincture, tablet, or tea.

Tyrosine

• Tyrosine is an amino acid required for the body to make thyroid hormones. It helps alleviate stress, depression, and anxiety because of its role in the synthesis of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Those with hypothyroid conditions should take 500 mg twice daily.

Warning

• Consult your health care professional before taking any of these products, as many of them are contraindicated for use with thyroid medications.