Fem Calm 60 capsules - Vitex, rhodiola, ashwagandha and B-vitamins promotes hormonal balance | AOR

AOR Fem Calm™ is used in herbal medicine as a hormone normalizer to help stabilize menstrual cycle irregularities and to help relieve premenstrual symptoms. It is also used as an adaptogen to help temporarily relieve symptoms of stress such as mental fatigue and sensation of weakness.

benefits of FemCalm
• helps to balance mood changes
• improves menstrual regularity
• promotes hormonal balance
• reduces homocysteine levels

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Feel better with Fem Calm
Fem Calm contains powerful nutrients and botanical ingredients that have proven benefits for relieving some of the mental and physical discomforts experienced prior to and during the menstrual cycle and in menopause due to hormone fluctuations. Some of these symptoms include irritability, depression, fatigue, insomnia, cramping and hot flashes.

Natural Ingredients to Ease PMS Problems
Vitex agnus , also known as chasteberry, has traditionally been used for the treatment of PMS. It has also been used for menopause symptom relief and for female hormone balancing; it is considered a “progesteronic” herb.
Rhodiola rosea has been shown in a number of positive studies to benefit concentration and in coping with stress.
Ashwagandha helps to normalize cortisol, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and improves mood as it functions as a calming adaptogen.  Ashwagandha also helps balance out the buzz that some people feel when taking Rhodiola.
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxal-5-phosphate has been well studied for reducing the depressive mood symptoms of PMS. Vitamins B6, B12 (methylcobalamin) and folate are necessary in order for proper methylation to occur in the body. Ineffective methylation has been associated with both mood and neuropsychiatric disorders.

How Fem Calm Works
Fem Calm primarily helps to provide an emotional and mental calming effect while also assisting in balancing hormones and regulating the menstrual cycle. This product may be used in combination with Fem Ease to naturally help relieve the physical symptoms of PMS and menstrual related pain.

Premenstrual Syndrome and Mood Disturbance
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to a collection of emotional symptoms that may or may not be accompanied by physical symptoms, and which are related to a woman’s menstrual cycle. A severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is characterized by a depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, and decreased interest in daily activities during the menst rual cycle.
The causes of PMDD are not well understood. Natural substances such as chasteberry, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, vitamins B6, B12 and folate have been proven effective in relieving the physical and emotional symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle.

Chasteberry Reduces Physical and Emotional PMS and Menopausal Symptoms
Chasteberry can activate dopamine receptors, which works to counteract the excessive release of prolactin that is a prominent sign of PMDD, and thus mitigate the unpleasant physical effects of this more severe form of PMS. It normalizes hormones which helps to stabilize menstrual cycle irregularities, and helps relieve symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes.
Study results have demonstrated that chasteberry was superior to placebo in relieving the symptoms of PMS including mood changes, irritability, headaches, anger, breast enlargement and bloating.

Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Reduce Stress, Fatigue, Anxiety and Insomnia
Ashwagandha has been shown to be effective in reducing various aspects of stress including anxiety and insomnia, both symptoms that can occur before and during the menstrual cycle.
Stress, either physical or mental, leads to the enhancement of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion which in turn increases cortisol levels.
Ashwagandha root extract, in addition to successfully reducing raised levels of serum cortisol, can improve an individual’s resistance towards stress. A single center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving a total of 64 subjects with a history of chronic stress were given a high-concentration full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract at a dosage of one capsule twice a day for a period of 60 days.
It was found that ashwagandha root safely and effectively improves an individual’s resistance towards stress and there by improves self-assessed quality of life.

Rhodiola rosea acts as an adaptogen by counteracting any adverse physical, chemical or biological stressors. Studies suggest that Rhodiola can help prevent symptoms associated with intense physical or mental strain such as a decline in work performance, sleep difficulties, poor appetite, irritability, hypertension, headaches and fatigue.
In a human clinical trial, a Rhodiola ext ract along with a combination of vitamins and minerals was given to 120 adults with physical and cognitive deficiencies in a 12 week drug monitoring study. There was a significant improvement in these deficiencies, with observed improvements in symptoms such as exhaustion, decreased motivation, daytime sleepiness, sleep disturbances, concentration deficiencies, forgetfulness, susceptibility to stress and irritability.
This is likely due to Rhodiola’s ability to influence the levels of several neurotransmitters in th e brain.

Vitamin B6 for PMS Related Mood Disturbances
Vitamin B6 is known to benefit those who suffer from low mood, also a symptom that some women experience prior to and during the menstrual cycle. PMS can cause dissociation of familial relationships, abnormalities in the daily work and interpersonal relationships of the patients, and bring about direct and indirect economic burden for society.
One study compared the effects of a combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 on depression in PMS patients versus magnesium only or a placebo.
The study was carried out for four months in ten selected health centers in Isfahan, Iran. The study’s findings indicated that magnesium plus vitamin B6 had the greatest effect on the mean PMS score and the placebo had the least effect.

Improving Methylation and Lowering Homocysteine Levels to Improve Mood
The methylation cycle involves the process of taking a single carbon and three hydrogens, known as a methyl group, and using it for numerous critical functions in your body such as thinking, repairing DNA, turning on and off genes, fighting infections and getting rid of environmental toxins to name a few.
Vitamins B6, B12 and folate (the active form is known as L-5-MTHF or L-5- methyltetrahydrofolate) are nutrients required for proper methylation and to lower homocysteine levels.
Elevated homocysteine levels have been demonstrated to be related to mood disturbances such as major depressive disorder. One study found that patients with low folate levels were more likely to suffer with depression and were also less likely to respond to medical trea tment for depression with the drug fluoxetine (a popular type of SSRI or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor).
Another study found that both folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies were more likely to cause mood disorders, cognitive disorders and neurological disorders. Folate deficiency may specifically aggravate depressive disorders.
In addition, the neurotoxic effects of homocysteine may also play a role in the neurologic and psychiatric disturbances that are associated with folate and vitamin B12 deficiency.