Tonic
Ba Zhen Yi Mu Tang
Eight Treasures with Motherwort
Nine herbs. A building-back-up formula with a long history after childbirth.
£24.50
Herbal formulas for every stage
Supplements for Women
Eleven classic herbal formulas, most of them written with women in mind hundreds of years before anyone said the word hormones. From the monthly cycle to getting back on your feet after a baby, there's an old recipe for nearly every stage. Have a go at the quick quiz underneath to find where you fit.
Hormone-free5:1 strengthVegan & gluten-freeFree UK delivery £40+
Where are you right now?
Find your women's supplement
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Traditionally chosen
Si Wu Tang
The Four Substances. Dong quai, rehmannia, white peony and lovage, first written down around 1107 and the starting point for most women's formulas since.
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11 formulas
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Tonic
Two herbs
Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
Dong Quai & Astragalus
Astragalus and dong quai, five parts to one. That's literally it.
£24.50
Gentle
Dang Gui Shao Yao San
Dong Quai & White Peony
Six herbs from the Han classics. Soft and nourishing, as these things go.
£24.50
Menopause
Geng Nian An
Peace Through the Change
5.0 · 12 reviews
Twelve herbs, built specifically for the menopause years.
£24.50
Han classic
Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan
Cinnamon Twig & Poria
4.9 · 15 reviews
Just five herbs, straight from a Han dynasty text. Our second best-selling formula in six-packs.
£24.50
Best seller
Jia Wei Xiao Yao San
Free and Easy Wanderer Plus
4.8 · 26 reviews
Our most popular formula, full stop. A cooling take on the 900-year-old classic.
£24.50
Replenishing
Liu Wei Di Huang Tang
Six Flavour Rehmannia
4.7 · 6 reviews
Six herbs, written down in 1119, and still one of the most used formulas going.
£24.50
The classic
Si Wu Tang
Four Substances
4.8 · 5 reviews
Four herbs, nine centuries, and the mother of nearly every women's formula here.
£24.50
Moving
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang
Four Substances with Peach Kernel & Safflower
Si Wu Tang with peach kernel and safflower added, to get things moving.
£24.50
Warming
Wen Jing Tang
Warm the Channels
5.0 · 6 reviews
Eleven herbs including cinnamon and ginger. The warmest formula on this page.
£24.50
Cooling
Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan
Anemarrhena & Phellodendron Rehmannia
4.8 · 8 reviews
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan with two cooling herbs added, for when there's a bit too much heat about.
£24.50
Side by side
Women's supplements by life stage
| Compare | Your monthly cycle | Busy and stretched | Running on empty | The menopause years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formulas | Si Wu Tang and four more | Jia Wei Xiao Yao San | Ba Zhen Yi Mu Tang, Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang | Geng Nian An and the Di Huang pair |
| Star herb | Dong quai | Bupleurum | Astragalus | Rehmannia |
| The idea | Keep things flowing and warm | Ease the pressure | Build back up | Replenish and cool |
A bit of history
Women's health supplements, but make it 2,000 years old
Here's a fun one. Western medicine only really started studying women's bodies properly in the last few decades. Chinese herbalists? They were at it in the Han dynasty, and by 1237 a chap called Chen Ziming had written a whole book of prescriptions just for women.
And what were women going to herbalists about back then? Pretty much what fills GP waiting rooms now. Periods that hurt, or turn up whenever they fancy. The low, irritable days before a period, what we'd now call PMS. Trying for a baby, and recovering afterwards. The hot, sleepless years of the menopause and the hormonal changes that come with it.
There's an old saying among herbalists: for women, Blood is the root. Most of the formulas here are about keeping that Blood well nourished and moving freely. Which is why dong quai, the herb sometimes called female ginseng, crops up in seven of the eleven.
What's inside
The herbs behind our women's supplements
Four herbs do most of the heavy lifting across these formulas. Each one has a bit of a story.
当归
Dong Quai
Dang Gui, "ought to return"
Probably the most famous women's herb in the world. One story says the name comes from wives waiting for husbands who ought to come home.
Found in: Seven of the eleven formulas here
熟地黄
Rehmannia Root
Shu Di Huang
Steamed and dried again and again until it goes black and sticky. Old texts say nine rounds. Not a quick job.
Found in: Si Wu Tang, Geng Nian An and the Di Huang formulas
白芍
White Peony Root
Bai Shao
Dong quai's long-time partner. They turn up together in formula after formula, a bit like salt and pepper.
Found in: Six formulas, including Si Wu Tang and Jia Wei Xiao Yao San
益母草
Motherwort
Yi Mu Cao, "benefit mother herb"
The name doesn't leave much to the imagination. It's been tied to women and childbirth in both Chinese and European herbalism.
Found in: Ba Zhen Yi Mu Tang
Just so we're clear, this is about how these herbs have traditionally been used. Our tablets are food supplements, mind. Not medicine.
Looking after yourself
Small habits that go a long way
None of this is rocket science. But it's the stuff your gran knew and the old herbal books banged on about too.
- 1Eat your greens and your ironLeafy veg, beans, a bit of red meat if you eat it. Herbalists would call it feeding the Blood.
- 2Keep your middle warmEspecially around your period. Hot water bottles are underrated.
- 3Rest when you bleedNot always possible, we know. Even an early night helps.
- 4Move most daysWalking, yoga, a swim. Whatever you'll actually stick to.
- 5Track your cycleAn app or a diary. Spotting your own pattern is half the battle, and your GP will thank you.
Verified Loox reviews
What our customers say
"Love these. The quality is fantastic and they're easy to swallow."
"So far I'm loving the herbs, feeling so much more balanced."
"Speedy delivery and I'm going to reorder to continue at least a 3 month cycle!"
Which one should I start with?
Try the quiz up top first. If you're still not sure, Si Wu Tang is the classic starting point for the cycle, and Jia Wei Xiao Yao San is the one most of our customers reach for. Or drop us a line and we'll talk it through.
What are the best supplements for women?
Honestly, it depends on where you are in life, which is why we grouped them by stage. What we can promise is 5:1 strength, DaoDi herbs and recipes with centuries of use behind them.
Do these help balance hormones?
Hormone balance is one of the oldest reasons women have turned to herbs, and formulas like Si Wu Tang have a long history around the cycle and the menopause. Ours don't have any hormones in them though, and they're food supplements, not a treatment. If you think something's out of whack, ask your GP for a blood test, they can actually measure it.
Can I take these when trying for a baby?
Some women do, often with an acupuncturist's guidance, and we have a separate Fertility collection. If you're already pregnant, please stop and check with your midwife or GP first. That goes for all our formulas.
What is dong quai?
It's the root of Angelica sinensis, a plant in the celery family. It's been a cornerstone of Chinese women's formulas for centuries and you'll find it in seven of the eleven here.
Can I take them with the pill or HRT?
Have a word with your GP or pharmacist first. Same goes if you're on blood thinners, as dong quai isn't a good mix with those.
How long does a bottle last?
Ten days, at three tablets morning and night. A lot of women stick with a formula for two or three cycles, in which case the 6-bottle pack is the cheaper way to do it.
Learn with Aura
More on women's health
Just so we're clear: food supplements aren't a replacement for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, and they aren't meant to diagnose, treat or cure anything.