Fennel for Increasing Breast Milk Supply

PIcking fennel

Fennel seeds are a traditional herbal remedy for gastrointestinal upset, and fennel tea is considered so safe that it can even be taken by babies as a remedy for colic. Fennel helps to relax the digestive tract, making it easier for babies (and people of all ages) to expel gas. However, fennel has also been prescribed since ancient times as a galactogogue -- an herb that can help to increase the supply of breastmilk in nursing mothers. Hippocrates prescribed fennel to nursing mothers.

Using Fennel to Improve Breast Milk Supply

Method

• Drink fennel as a tea.
• Take fennel seed capsules, tablets, or extracts (these can be found in a health food store). Follow the directions on the container.

Why It Works

Fennel is rich in many phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals, and may improve the nutritional status of nursing mothers. But fennel is also believed to act on the body’s hormones, increasing the amount of estrogen in the blood. Like fenugreek, another herb that is frequently prescribed to improve a mother’s milk supply, fennel tends to increase the action of the body’s glands, including both the sweat glands and the breasts.

Precautions

Because fennel is considered a food, it is generally regarded as safe. Whenever taking an herb that you have not taken before, however, watch for possible allergic reactions.

More Remedies

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