Samples were weighed, homogenized in 1 M HCL, heated at 98 degrees C for two hours and mixed with acetonitrile. Daidzein was found in all grasses. Estrogen are growth promoting hormones and influence the development of the female reproductive organs. Although predominantly a female hormone, estrogens are produced naturally by both sexes by the ovaries in the female and testes in the male. Effects that mimics the effects of the naturally produced estrogens.
Plants can produce compounds that have estrogen effects.
These compounds are known as phytoestrogens. First identified in legumes, isoflavones have found in other plants such as grasses, soybeans and some grains. Isoflavonic phytoestrogens become biologically active when ingested. In ruminant animals, microorganisms break them down into weak estrogens that can influence reproductive processes in these animals Clover disease in sheep is a classic example of the effects of phytoestrogens on the reproductive processes in sheep. Sheep grazing paddocks containing Subterranean Red Clover, a legume containing high concentrations of phytoestrogens, were rendered permanently sterile.