A reader’s compendium of endocrine pathways, compounded therapies, and the evidence behind them.
Written by the pharmacists at The Mortar & Pestle for patients, prescribers, and the curious. Each chapter covers a distinct axis of the endocrine system — how it signals, where it falters, and which compounded therapies can meet it precisely.
Nº 02 · Table of plates
Each chapter opens a different axis of the endocrine system — from the thyroid’s quiet metronome to the adrenal’s response to stress. Pick a plate below to begin.
Nº 03 · The case for personalised therapy
Commercial hormone products solve for the average patient on the shelf. Compounding solves for the one in front of us — with different strengths, bases, combinations, and removed excipients when the shelf can’t.
Clinical literature and lab data, not bro-science.
Every formulation we prepare is grounded in published pharmacology and the prescribing guidelines of endocrinology, functional medicine, and pharmacy. If the evidence changes, the formulation does too.
Commercial strengths rarely match individual biology.
We compound at strengths and ratios the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t stock — alternate dosing schedules, paediatric fractions, combined T3/T4 ratios, and bases that suit your skin and gut.
Compounding sits alongside your clinical team.
We collaborate with GPs, endocrinologists, naturopaths, and integrative doctors — sharing formulation records, flagging interactions, and adjusting scripts in partnership with whoever writes them.
The therapy isn’t set and forgotten.
Hormones demand regular review. We recommend follow-up testing and titration, and we adjust bases, strengths, or dosing intervals as bloodwork and symptoms evolve over time.
Nº 04 · Self-assessment
A short, structured questionnaire that maps your current pattern against the most common endocrine profiles. Your responses are reviewed by our pharmacy team before any recommendation is made.
Female assessment
Maps the reproductive axis alongside thyroid, cortisol, and insulin patterns across the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and post-menopause.
BeginMale assessment
Focused on total and free testosterone, adrenal cortisol, insulin, and thyroid — the patterns that most commonly present in male patients.
Begin~6 minutes · Reviewed by our pharmacists · Confidential
Nº 05 · Continue from here
Doctors, nurse practitioners, and integrative clinicians who prescribe compounded hormone therapy across our network.
Open directoryBrowse the shelves — hormone and metabolic formulations that our bench prepares on prescription.
Enter the shopDeeper pieces, case studies, and patient-facing notes from the compounding bench.
Open libraryIf you already hold a prescription for compounded therapy, send it through for a personalised quote.
Upload prescriptionNotice to the reader
This compendium is educational, not prescriptive.
Hormone therapy requires medical supervision. The pages here are reviewed by our pharmacy team but aren’t a substitute for professional medical advice. Speak with your prescriber before starting, altering, or stopping any hormone therapy — we’re happy to collaborate with them on the formulation.