Herbs for Labor and Delivery
There are many good herbs for labor and delivery. Some of them help tonify the uterine muscles. Some of them help ripen the cervix. Some enhance uterine contraction activity. Others are nourishing and mineral rich. Some support milk production.
Some herbs have toxic properties and can cause undesired effects such as premature labor or serious illness. Always follow the guidelines of your midwife, herbalist, or other knowledgeable health practitioner regarding preparation, timing, and dosage.
How to take herbal medicines for labor and delivery
Herbal formulas can be prepared in a multitude of ways for ease and effectiveness. Here are some of the more common methods.
Herbal tea
For a simple tea made from dried leaves, flowers, and other aerial parts, pour boiled water over a spoonful of herbs, let steep for 15 minutes, strain and drink.
Decoctions
Roots and barks require some boiling/simmering to draw their medicines and flavors into the water. Some Chinese herbal formulas are prepared by decoction as well. Shout out to local Chinese medicine practitioners Julia Mandes and Hyeon-Jin Kwon. Go see them for acupuncture and herbs!
Herbal Infusion
To prepare an infusion, place a handful of dry, loose herbs into a large glass jar or small pot, and pour boiled water over them to fill the vessel. Cover and let steep for 8 hours or overnight. Strain and drink in quantities as directed. Infusions draw more minerals and medicinal compounds into the water than simply making tea. They use significantly more herb material and steep for much longer and are therefore more strongly medicinal and profoundly nourishing than a cup of tea. To learn more about nourishment during pregnancy, read this article.
Tinctures
Tinctures are extracts prepared by submerging medicinal herbs in alcohol or glycerine, often for a full moon cycle. Dosage is usually by the drop or dropperful and needs to be carefully noted and followed. Tinctures are easy to take and often quite strong.
Capsules
Capsules are made with dried herbs stuffed into capsules. They can also be easy to take, as they require no preparation, but may not be as strong or effective.
Essential oils
Essential oils contain the distilled essence of plant parts. They are extraordinarily concentrated. Safety precautions must be carefully observed. Most essential oils are for external use only.
Homeopathic remedies
Homeopathic remedies are prepared by dilution and succussion. One drop of a tincture is infused into a precise measurement of sterile water, which is then agitated in a particular way. Then one drop of the diluted solution is infused into a fresh batch of sterile water and succussed again. This process is repeated until the desired dilution or potency is reached. The more highly diluted the remedy, the deeper its action in the being. There is no chemical trace of the original substance in the final remedy. Rather, the energetic imprint infuses the water, which is often blended with lactose or sucrose and dried to form little balls or pellets that dissolve easily in the mouth. Homeopathic remedies are very easy to take and to give to babies and small children. They are generally quite safe and may work incredibly well, almost instantaneously to shift an illness or emotional state, or they may not work at all, if the wrong remedy has been chosen. They’re very sensitive to light and strong smells or flavors and need to be stored and taken according to directions.
I carry homeopathic remedies, herbal tinctures, and essential oils with me to every birth. To learn what other comfort items I carry in my birth bag, check out this blog post on the topic! It’s about my doula bag, but I bring all those same supplies when I serve as a midwife, too.
Here are a few of my favorite herbal remedies for pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period
Ginger root and other herbs for morning sickness
Ginger is warming, settles the stomach, and aids digestion. It’s best prepared by a decoction of the fresh root. Adding a little honey once the decoction has cooled can help raise the blood sugar enough to take the edge of nausea as well. An glycerite, or alcohol-free tincture, can be taken on the go. And fresh ginger root can be incorporated safely into raw and cooked foods as well. Peppermint, lemon balm, camomile, fennel, and red raspberry leaf can also be prepared individually or as a blend for a stomach-soothing, nausea-easing tea during pregnancy.
Tone the uterus with red raspberry leaf tea
Red raspberry leaf is a big favorite herb during pregnancy. It tonifies the uterus and is rich in calcium and other minerals, particularly when prepared as an infusion. It’s generally considered safe to drink from 16 weeks of pregnancy on. I recommend preparing an infusion with a generous handful of red raspberry leaf tea in a quart of boiled water, letting it steep overnight, and drinking one to four cups a day. Start with one cup, and see how it affects you. If you notice more toning contractions than you feel comfortable with, you can back off on the amount. It is possible to induce or augment labor with significant quantities of red raspberry leaf infusion.
During the postpartum period and throughout the childbearing years, the uterine tonic properties of red raspberry leaf can support healthy cycles. Red raspberry leaf tea can help postpartum bleeding wrap up in a timely fashion.
Stinging nettles for nourishment
Stinging nettles grow deep roots way down into the soil to pull up iron, calcium, and other trace minerals. Consuming stinging nettle leaf tea, infusion, soup, tincture, or capsules confers these minerals to the drinker. It’s important to source nettles grown in clean soil, uncontaminated with heavy metals and other chemicals. Nettles are tonifying for the kidneys and urinary tract. They’re mineral rich and highly nourishing and combine well with red raspberry leaf in a lovely infusion for pregnancy. It’s not unheard of for nettles to cause a slightly upset stomach, so try a cup of tea first to see how it affects you.
Stinging nettles can also reduce seasonal allergy symptoms when taken consistently for a few weeks before and throughout allergy season. Infusion, tincture, and capsules are the best ways to take stinging nettles for maximum medicinal effect.
NORA tea
NORA stands for nettles, oat straw, red raspberry leaf, and alfalfa. It’s a classic pregnancy blend that is richly highly nourishing, tonifying, and soothing for the pregnant body. Oat straw is a nervine and excellent source of calcium. And Alfalfa is very high in vitamin K1 which helps increase platelet counts for healthy blood clotting. Infusions are the recommended preparation method for NORA tea.
All of these herbs can usually be found locally at Mom’s Organic Market or purchased in bulk online at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Evening primrose oil; dates
Once you have reached full term, or 37 weeks of pregnancy, you might want to start supporting cervical ripening to prepare for labor. Evening primrose oil capsules can be taken orally or inserted vaginally to help ripen the cervix. EPO contains prostaglandin precursors, which do the trick. Semen does too. Ask your midwife about evening primrose oil and do your own research before choosing vaginal application. It’s important to consume EPO that has not gone bad. Look for unexpired capsules or bottles of oil in the refrigerated supplement section of your local health food store.
Dates are also said to help bring on a timely labor and even prevent excessive bleeding immediately after birth. You don’t have to wait til 37 weeks to start eating dates, as they are a food and not a medicinal herb. Here some more info about EPO. And here’s an article on eating dates to prepare for labor and birth.
Midwife’s brew
Castor oil is not to be taken lightly, very probably not before your due date, and definitely not without professional guidance. The laxative form of castor oil can be blended with lemon balm tea, almond butter, and apricot nectar in a mixture called the midwife’s brew to bring on labor. It often has gastro-intestinal side effects.
Black cohosh, blue cohosh, and cottonroot bark
These herbs can cause, enhance, and/or help coordinate uterine contractions. They are often used in tinctures or homeopathic formulations for labor and should never be taken without professional guidance. Some evidence shows potentially dangerous side effects of the cohoshes.
Galactagogues
Galactagogues enhance breast milk production. Foods like oats, quinoa, and sweet potatoes are galactagogues. Nutritional yeast and brewers yeast, rich in B vitamins, also help milk production. The seeds of fennel and fenugreek prepared as a tea or added to food can enhance milk production as well. Fenugreek should be avoided during pregnancy. Don’t assume you need a galactagogue before your milk comes in. You might be overwhelmed with your natural milk supply! Cold green cabbage leaves applied directly to the breasts can ease engorgement, and drinking sage tea can help reduce milk production, if such a therapies are called for.
Aviva Romm, Susun Weed, and Hannah Burba
These are some wise women resources for you!
Aviva Romm offers herbal training programs for midwives and other women’s health professionals.
Susun Weed’s Wise Woman book series is fabulous!
Hannah Burba is a local midwife and herbalist who makes and sells wonderful herbal products, sourcing many of her herbs from her own garden or wildcrafting adventures.
FAQ
What herbs are good for going into labor?
Evening primrose oil can help ripen the cervix, red raspberry leaf infusion can help tonify the uterus, and homeopathic caulophyllum and cimicifuga can help establish a healthy contraction pattern. Please consult your health care provider before using any herbal formulations for labor and birth.
What herbs dilate the cervix?
Contractions and pressure from baby’s presenting part dilate the cervix, not herbs. A cervix that is ripe and ready to open dilates more easily. Evening primrose oil can help with that. And red raspberry leaf infusion can help tonify the uterus for its task and coordinate uterine activity. Don’t forget to attend to pelvic balancing and optimal fetal positioning.
What herbal supplements help you dilate?
Please see this entire article, above, in which I discuss, red raspberry leaf, black and blue cohosh, cottonroot bark, castor oil, and other herbs.
What herbs are good for the last month of pregnancy?
Red raspberry leaf, stinging nettles, oat straw, and alfalfa leaf are generally fabulous herbs for the last month of pregnancy, provided they are well tolerated.
