Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Chocolate for Imbalanced Menstrual Cycle

Hormonal imbalances in women can cause several health problems, such as irregular menstrual periods, emotional changes, and feeling tired all the time.1 People tend to love chocolate more than any other food, but they usually don't like taking medicine. Because of this, the aim of the study was to prepare a chocolate that includes herbal ingredients, specially made to help in improve menstrual hormonal balance and to reduce menstrual pain.2 The development of medicated chocolate as a functional food presents a promising method for delivering therapeutic agents in a palatable and patient-friendly form.19 The chocolate is made with medicinal herbs such as Dong Quai powder, Dandelion root powder, Dark compound, Beetroot powder, Honey —all of which are known for helping to balance hormones, ease menstrual cramps, manage stress, improve fertility, and support metabolism. This innovation presents a promising natural alternative for managing hormonal imbalances in women, merging wellness with indulgence in one product. The prepared chocolate exhibited good flavour and smooth texture, maintained a stable, lacked fat and sugar bloom, and contained proteins, carbohydrates, and glycosides. These characteristics make herbal chocolate a tasty, safe, and practical alternative for alleviating period cramps and supporting hormonal balance, as indicated by the research.20