"Healing After Birth: The Best Herbs to Support Your Postpartum Recovery"

When it comes to recovering after postpartum, there is no one way fits all- If you’re looking for some simple ways to help boost and support you during this time that doesn’t require a prescription or extra work on your part- here are some natural remedies that mother earth offers to do just that after such a transformational moment in life:

The easiest way to use these are in teas and bath soaks. But you can also find products such as lotions, sprays & capsules that also use and apply.

Soft Tissue Support and Healing Plantain Leaf (Plantago major)

We’re not talking about the banana! Plantain leaf is a common herb that grows like a weed in North America that aids soft tissue healing. Plantain is gentle and safe to use topically during postpartum - use in a sitz bath or in a balm in order to promote healing and soothe damaged tissues. Especially helpful if you have any degree of a tear you’re working through.

We love Free Spirit Farm’s Healing Salve with Plantain and Calendula, And Earth Mama’s Sitz Bath and Perineal Balm.

We love this in a sitz bath! We carry Earth Mama’s organic line that carries this herb in just this form.

Female Reproductive Health Raspberry Leaf - Rubus idaeus

Commonly referred to as the Mother Herb, Raspberry leaf lends gentle support to the female reproductive system, is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and can help to increase milk supply. It is a wonderful and light tasting herb that makes an excellent base for a postpartum tea formula. 

We love the Womb Wellness Tea by Euphoric Herbals as a nourishing source of Raspberry leaf.

Milk Production and Lactation Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

Fenugreek has been used around the world to increase milk production for many years. Make a tea with the seeds, or use them as an ingredient in your cooking (you can even make Fenugreek seed cookies!) to support lactation, aid digestion and receive anti-inflammatory benefits.

We love Earth Mama Organic Milkmaid® Tea or their Raspberry Leaf tea which is the only ingredient

Please note: Fenugreek is a legume, do not consume if you have a nut allergy

Mood Support Tulsi (Holy Basil) - Ocimum tenuiflorum

Used in ayurvedic medicine for centuries, Holy Basil is a gentle adaptogen that helps to balance mood, support the nervous system, nourishes the adrenal glands, supports the immune system and helps to balance healthy blood sugar levels. Holy Basil is safe to consume postpartum, and can be taken as a tea, capsule or tincture. Holy Basil tea makes a lovely substitute for caffeinated beverages, and helps to take the edge off of those stressful moments.

We enjoy taking this in tea form or Himalay’s capsule form

System Support and Fortification Nettle Leaf - Urtica dioica-

Pregnancy and birth take a lot out of us - to put it mildly. Our bodies can become deficient in vital vitamins and minerals through the work of gestation, birth, nursing, etc. Nettle leaf, taken as a tea or capsule, can help to fortify the immune system and provide important nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Nettle leaves are also high in protein and contain essential amino acids - it is an absolute powerhouse of an herb! Nettle also has anti-inflammatory properties, and supports bone health and hair and nail growth. With a light verdant flavor that lands somewhere between tea and broth, Nettle leaf is a versatile herb that is an excellent addition to just about any herbal tea blend or soup broth. Fresh nettle is a spring time treat if you’re brave enough to harvest it! The “sting” comes from a chemical compound in the leaves, and can be neutralized when exposed to heat or dried. 

We really love the Womb Wellness Tea by Euphoric Herbals which also has Nettle leaf. You can find this herb in many teas however. Its a very common herb found in digestive teas.