Ovulation Phase Tea: A Cacao + Shatavari Ritual for Feminine Vitality

Ovulation is such a yummy time for our body. It is the peak of our menstrual cycle: our inner summer season of upmost yang, where energy naturally rises, creativity expands, and confidence radiates. You may feel more open, socially connected, and more turned on by life. Your vitality naturally wants to move outward and be expressed.

This ovulatory phase tea is designed to be gentle, heart-opening and grounding during this time of peak energy. It blends cacao, shatavari, lemon balm, orange peel and cinnamon to create an aromatic, qi moving infusion that nourishes your body and hormones. It helps you feel more connected to your body, the relationships around you and your pleasure.

The Ovulatory Phase Superpowers:

The ovulatory phase is the phase where your energy wants to be seen. When we connect to our natural rhythms and cycles, this phase brings clarity of desire, magnetic confidence, creative flow, and limitless potential. Estrogen climbs to its summit, and suddenly life just feels more enjoyable. You have some flirtatious vibes flowing, cervical fluid increasing and thickening, and your capacity to receive love increases.

The Shadow Side of the Ovulatory Phase:

One of the greatest gifts of learning to live cyclically is realizing that your body is always communicating with you. Because the ovulatory phase amplifies everything, you may have moments of overwhelm, especially transitioning from ovulatory phase to luteal phase. You may all of a sudden regret the list of dinner dates you planned with your friends, the weekend trip and the commitments at work you said you would do. This tea blend helps you stay grounded, while also supporting your natural energy increase.

*Note: for some women, the ovulatory phase comes with unwanted symptoms, like pain, acne, depletion or even dread as to what is come in the luteal phase. If this is you, I encourage you to reach out to a trusted practitioner for support. I currently take 1:1 coaching clients where we can explore the root causes of these symptoms.

How to drink this tea blend:

It is best to begin drinking this tea around 2 days before your expected ovulation all the way through about 2 days after ovulation.

Herbs In This Ovulation Phase Tea & Their Benefits

Cacao Nibs

(Enters the Heart, Liver and Kidney Meridians)

Cacao brings warmth and mineral-rich nourishment. Energetically, it supports the Heart and Shen (spirit), helping maintain emotional openness and connection during this outward phase of the cycle. It’s one of my favorites for the ovulatory phase because cacao invites us to lean into our creative and expressive energy. From a functional lens, it’s high in antioxidants the magnesium in cacao helps us with nervous system regulation and relaxation.

Shatavari

(Enters the Lung, Kidney and Heart Meridians)

Shatavari comes more from Ayurvedic medicine and has traditionally been used to support women’s reproductive health, healthy stress resilience, and overall vitality. To give you an idea, Shatavari is often translated as "she who possesses one hundred husbands." From a TCM lens, it is a deeply yin-nourishing. It is a beautiful herb for women who tend to push themselves, overextend, or feel like they crash after periods of high output (or ovulation energy).

Tangerine/Orange Peel (Chen Pi)

(Enters the Lung and Spleen Meridians)

Orange peel (Chen Pi in TCM) is one of the classic herbs for keeping energy flowing. It is warm, aromatic and move stagnant qi. It helps strengthen digestion, transform dampness and relieve fullness. And because digestion is foundational to hormone health, supporting digestive function also supports the body's ability to utilize nutrients needed for healthy hormone production and metabolism, especially during ovulation.

Lemon Balm

(Enters Stomach and Heart Meridians)

Lemon balm is classified as a nervine, meaning it supports the nervous system. It is a calming herb that supports emotional ease and helps soften overstimulation or anxiety that can occur during more socially active or high-energy days and also into the transition of the luteal phase. In Traditional Chinese Medicine lemon balm helps with supporting the flow of liver qi and calming the shen (spirit).

Cinnamon Bark

(Enters Heart, Kidney, Liver & Spleen Meridians)

Cinnamon is warming, supports healthy circulation, and strengthens kidney yang. Cinnamon helps support metabolic health and insulin resistance, and also helps with inflammation. So, if you experience ovulation pain (mittelschmerz), it’s a great herb to use or also if you have PMOS and tend towards delayed ovulation.

Okay, now let’s get to the recipe!

Ovulatory Phase Tea Blend

4 TABLESPOONS OF CACAO NIBS

4 TABLESPOONS OF LEMON BALM

2 TABLESPOONS OF CHEN PI (TANGERINE/ORANGE PEEL)

2 TABLESPOONS OF CINNAMON CHIPS

¼ TEASPOON OF SHATAVARI (PER SERVING)

(MAKES ABOUT 3/4 CUP TOTAL)

DIRECTIONS:

1. MIX CACAO NIBS, LEMON BALM, ORANGE PEEL AND CINNAMON TOGETHER AND PLACE IN AN AIRTIGHT JAR. STORE IN A DARK AREA UNTIL READY TO USE.

2. TAKE 2 TEASPOONS PER 8OZ OF WATER

3. POUR BOILING WATER OVER LOOSE LEAF TEA AND STEEP FOR 10 MINUTES

4. STRAIN AND SITR IN ¼ TEASPOON OF SHATAVARI POWDER

5. THIS TEA IS BEST TO DRINK WARM OR AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.

NOTES:

• Shatavari is a finely ground powder, so it doesn't infuse like dried herbs. Instead, whisking it into each freshly brewed cup prevents it from settling at the bottom of the storage jar.

• It is important to get your herbs from reputable sources. Loose leaf is the best because it prevents plastics from leaching into your tea. I source most of my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs. I purchase in bulk and they last a long time in my cabinet. Store away from light. This is the best, most affordable way to start your herbal collection.

Creating tea blends if one my favorite recommendations for clients and a wonderful way to connect nature to your body. They are easy to bring into your day, effective and gentle.

Make this Luteal Phase Tea Blend prior to menstruation for added cyclical support.

For menstruation support, make this Menstrual Phase Tea Blend.

Do you struggle with any cyclical phase symptoms, like painful cramping, heavy bleeding, acne or ovulation pain?

Your symptoms are not random, and you do not have to just “push through” them every month. If you are ready to better understand your hormones and feel more supported throughout your cycle, I invite you to book an information call to learn more about working together.

Let’s Connect!