An abundance of energy is utilised at conception, throughout pregnancy and during labour. At the time of birth, Qi, Blood and of course Jing is depleted from the effort of bringing a babe Earth side.
The first month after giving birth is therefore crucial to the health of both the mother and the baby, a time to rest, recuperate and receive support. Many traditional cultures around the world incorporate postpartum practices surrounding deep nourishment, rest, nutrition and herbalism to support them through this time. If you are on your fertility journey or currently pregnant, read our blog 'Tonic Herbs For A Healthy Pregnancy'.
So let’s talk about what we know best - tonic herbs, and in this case the tonic herbs you may want to use throughout your postpartum journey.
The herbs safe for postpartum and whilst breastfeeding
The majority of our herbs are safe to use postpartum/while breastfeeding, this includes the medicinal mushrooms:
As well as the tonic herbs and SuperFeast blends including:
- I Am Gaia (Women's Blend)
- JING
- Deer Antler
- Astragalus
- Eucommia Bark
- QI
- SHEN
These tonic herbs in particular, help to rebuild Blood, Qi and Jing, replenish Yang energy and assist in recovery and healing. If you are wanting to simply begin with one to two blends, then the herbs we recommend to prioritise are the I Am Gaia and JING blends.
We always suggest introducing new herbs slowly and in low doses, this allows the body to adjust and benefits to unfold at a pace relevant to your individual system.
The herbs to avoid during postpartum
The herbs that we do not recommend are Beauty Blend, Schisandra or MSM at this time as these herbs influence the body’s detox pathways, especially through the Liver. Mobilising toxicity while breastfeeding is not ideal. If intuitively you feel the Beauty Blend, Schisandra and MSM are relevant to use at this time, please do so in small quantities or under the guidance of your health care provider.
We also do not recommend Neural Nectar while breastfeeding as Mucuna, a herb present in the blend, has been shown to inhibit prolactin. The study that reported this finding used men as the test subjects so the jury is still out in this regard. We suggest using Lion's Mane instead of Neural Nectar while breastfeeding.
To learn more about postpartum care, tune into these podcast episodes:
Episode 38 - After Birth We Eat Strong Food; Postpartum Care with Jenny Allison
Episode 97 - Thriving Postpartum with Dr. Oscar Serrallach
Episode 138 - Nurturing All Phases of Birth with Nutritionist Tahlia Mynott
Episode 157 - Caesarean Section Recovery and Healing with Nicole Alfred
Episode 98 - Real Nutrition For Maternal Wellbeing with Lily Nichols
