An Herb to Avoid for Breastfeeding Mothers

Hey everyone! Kirsten here. As many of you know I recently had a baby and I have been through quite the number of nursing obstacles in our first few months.

I had issues with my milk supply from the start due to severe hemorrhaging immediately after the birth and some other factors. When you lose a lot of blood during birth you can expect your milk supply to be delayed. Mine definitely was but after a lot of perseverance we are still breastfeeding and baby is putting on weight.

One small, but potentially significant, lifestyle change I needed to make was cutting out my beloved peppermint tea in order to aid my milk supply. Did you know that peppermint actually inhibits lactation in a percentage of women?!

This makes sense when you know that all foods have medicinal properties according to traditional Chinese medicine. We look at foods based on temperature and taste or flavor.

So let’s talk about peppermint, or Bo He, from a TCM perspective. It’s one of my favorite medicinals. I have always loved peppermint tea and peppermint essential oil. Peppermint is considered to be cooling. It is used to circulate qi (or energy), clear heat from the body, disperse wind and resolve phlegm.

Its medicinal properties are used to treat headaches, nausea, dizziness, sore throat, clear rashes, soothe itchiness, and treat anxiety and stress by clearing liver qi stagnation. It's also a great source of vitamin A, C, B12, magnesium, folate, fiber, calcium and iron.

Because all food has medicinal properties, it so valuable to see a practitioner and discuss diet in relation to your particular set of health conditions. If you are someone experiencing very cold symptoms within the body, adding peppermint may be negatively impacting any condition you have. Or if you’re extremely qi/blood deficient (hello postpartum!!!) it may be too moving, causing a depletion of qi and in turn a depletion of blood.

If you are breastfeeding and experiencing a decrease in supply, how are you supposed to know that you shouldn't be drinking that peppermint tea every day? You shouldn't, that’s exactly what your practitioner is for! We consider all factors including diet when a patient is struggling with any condition.

Better Balance