Another natural choice for any mother seeking to increase milk flow is goat’s rue herb.
Goat’s rue (Galega officinalis), a perennial herb with European and Asian roots, has lovely flowers that range in color from white to pinkish-lilac to light blue, earning it the common name “French lilac.” Dried goat’s rue plants have long been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, primarily as a diuretic and to help regulate blood sugar, in addition to its potent lactation-inducing properties.
Finding the best solution to increase your milk production if it isn’t where you want it to be can be frustrating. Additionally, it must be a safe and natural option for both you and the baby. Due to their inherent abilities to increase lactation, herbs like fenugreek seed and blessed thistle have gained popularity.
For centuries, women have used the herb goat’s rue to increase milk production because it works. And the better for you and your child if it’s included in an allergy-friendly supplement like the Mommy Knows Best Goat’s Rue Vegetarian Capsules. You enjoy the satisfaction of increasing your milk supply for your infant while using an all-natural, tried-and-true, allergen-free remedy.
Breastfeeding mothers have told us that, as early as two days after using the supplement, they noticed an increase in milk production. One mother claimed that she had lactation failure but was able to go from 0 to 1 after taking goat’s rue. 5 ounces per pumping session to 2 ounces. Another mother told us that she was able to increase her feedings from 3 to 7-8 ounces every 3 to 4 hours.
A survey of 238 Italian mothers using the commercial goat’s rue supplement Lactogal Plus, Loacker-Remedia, Italy, a galactogogue that also contained vitamins and magnesium, was carried out. Sixty-seven percent of mothers felt there was an increase in milk production and 88% felt that the product had benefitted the breastfeeding experience Mothers gave the tolerability a good or very good rating in 99% of cases. [16] No actual measurements of breastmilk production were performed.
Three cups of either water or an herbal tea (Humana Still-Tee, Humana GmbH, Herford, Germany) containing goats rue, fenugreek, hibiscus, fennel, rooibos, vervain, raspberry, and vitamin C were given at random to nursing mothers starting on the day of delivery. On day 1 and again seven to ten days later, several indicators of antioxidant capacity in breastmilk were measured. Between mothers who received the tea and those who received the water, there was no difference in the markers. [13].
In an old, uncontrolled observational study with 336 women, goats rue extract (Galegran, Rieswerke, [Graz, Austria]) was administered in an unspecified dose to increase milk supply. Increased milk output of 30 to 60% was observed. [10] This study on the galactogogue effects of goat rue cannot be properly concluded due to a lack of randomization, breastfeeding support, and placebo control.
After giving birth to healthy, full-term infants, sixty-six postpartum mothers (22 in each of the three groups) were randomly assigned to receive an herbal tea, a placebo, or nothing at all. The herbal tea group’s mothers drank a minimum of three cups a day of Still Tea (Humana-Istanbul, Turkey; containing hibiscus 2). According to the manufacturer’s website from November 2011, each 100 grams contains 6 grams, 200 mg of fennel extract, 20 mg of fennel oil, 200 mg of rooibos, 200 mg of verbena (also known as vervain), 200 mg of raspberry leaves, 100 mg of goat’s rue, and 500 mg of vitamin C. A similar-looking apple tea was used as the placebo. The same nurse and pediatrician observed each woman, but they were unaware of the care the mothers received. On the third postpartum day, mothers who received the Still Tea produced more breastmilk using an electric breast pump than mothers in the other groups. Infants in the Still Tea group lost less weight overall and returned to their birth weights more quickly than those in the placebo or control groups. No long-term outcome data were collected. No single ingredient can be held solely accountable for the effects of Still Tea because many of its ingredients, including goats rue, are rumored galactogogues, though the authors did attribute the action to fenugreek. [12].
Goats rue extract (Galegran, Rieswerke, [Graz, Austria]) was administered in an unspecified dose to 50 postpartum women from the third to fifth days after delivery in a previous study that was not blinded, randomized, or placebo controlled. Fifty untreated women were used as comparators. The milk output increased by 75% in the untreated women and by 125% in the treated women, but the volumes of milk were spread over wide ranges Additionally, the dry weight percentages of fat, protein, and lactose in the milk from another 100 women (50 treated and 50 untreated) were used to assess the milk’s quality. The tested components increased proportionally as milk consumption increased, but the differences weren’t statistically significant because they all fell within the normal range. Similar to the previous study, this one on the galactogogue effects of goats rue cannot be used to draw any meaningful conclusions.
Fenugreek and blessed thistle are sold together in capsules or tinctures by some manufacturers (some brands also include other herbs for milk supply). In general, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. These products are a good choice if you have trouble swallowing a lot of capsules several times a day because the herbs are combined in one capsule or liquid tincture.
It’s possible that some herbal remedies will aid in boosting milk production and milk flow to the infant. Almost every culture has some kind of plant, herb, or natural remedy to increase milk production. Some might function, some might function as placebos (which is fine), and some might not function at all. Some will contain active ingredients that won’t increase milk production but instead have unfavorable side effects. Even if a drug is herbal and natural, it may still have unfavorable side effects. For instance, the common flower foxglove contains the drug digitalis, which has been used to treat heart failure. But if you consume too much foxglove, it can have fatal side effects.
To emphasize, be aware that even herbs can cause side effects, some of which may be severe. Natural source drugs are still drugs, and there is no such thing as a 100% safe drug Fortunately, as with most medications, the baby will only receive a very small portion of the mother’s dosage, making it extremely unlikely that the baby will experience any side effects.
This fact sheet may be copied and distributed without further authorization as long as it is not used in a manner that contravenes the World Health Assembly resolutions from later years and the 1981 WHO International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Email us if you want to know what this means if you don’t already.