After A Cesarean - Herbal Healing for Mother and Child, The Wise Woman Way
an article by Susun S. Weed

Nourishing, Tonic, and Anti-infective Herbs

Safe Use of Herbs After a Cesarean :

• Water-based infusions provide optimum benefit and greatest safety
• Capsules are most likely to cause ill-effects and odd reactions
• Avoid poisonous forms of herbs such as essential oils
• Use tinctures diluted to treat acute problems
• Herbs move rapidly into breast milk (10-20 minutes)

Simple Nourishing Herbs for Mother and Child After a Cesarean :

1. Nourishing herbal infusions :

• Nettle (Urtica dioica)
• Oatstraw (Avena sativa)
• Comfrey leaf (Symphytum uplandica)
• Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
• Linden flowers (Tillia americana)

2. Benefits of nourishing herbal infusions after a cesarean :

• Nettle increases breast milk and helps replace blood loss.
• Oatstraw improves sleep and strengthens the nervous system.
• Comfrey leaf helps incisions heal and helps prevent scarring.
• Red clover improves breast milk production and brings hormonal sanity.
• Linden soothes and heals mucus surfaces and incisions; prevents colds.

Tonic Herbs for Mother and Child After a Cesarean :

1. Water bases:

• Raspberry leaf (Rubus ideaus) to tonify uterus.
• Aromatic mints - rosemary, lavender, and lemon balm - for digestion.
• Avoid sage (Salvia officinalis) if breastfeeding.

2. Tincture bases:

• Astragalus (A. membranaceous) strengthens immunity, prevents infection.
• Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) to ease after-birth pain and prevent post-partum depression.

Herbs That Can Counter Infection After a Cesarean :

• Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia) to increase macrophages; counter bacteria.
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) against all gram-positive and -negative bacteria.
• Usnea (U. barbarata) to counter deep infection.
• Poke root (Phytolacca americana) - USE WITH CAUTION.

The Empowered Woman Promotes Her Own Health

Benefits to Being Pro-Active in Healing After a Cesarean :

• Quicker healing for mom.
• Less scarring of the incision site.
• Better bonding between mom and babe.
• Deeper sleep for mom and babe.
• Fewer problems with infection at incision site and fewer infections for baby.

Bringing It Home :

1. Making nourishing infusions:
• One ounce stinging nettle, quart of boiling water; steep 4 hours - for energy.
• One ounce oatstraw, quart of boiling water; steep 4 hours - for patience.
• One ounce comfrey leaf, quart of boiling water, steep 4 hours, strain; rebrew with two cups cold water, bring to a boil; steep 4 hours, strain - to improve chances of a VBAC with next child.
• One ounce red clover blossom, quart of boiling water, steep 4 hours, strain - to prepare for the next pregnancy.
• One-half ounce linden flowers, quart of boiling water, steep 4 hours, strain; rebrew with two cups cold water, bring to a boil; steep 4 hours, strain.

2. Additions to infusions:
• Honey (Note: do not give honey to infants younger than 12 months)
• Milk
• The Israeli Public Health Ministry recommends against soy beverage for children under the age of eighteen (18); it's not good for mom either.
• Ice
• Juice (Note: problems with fructose)

3. Sources for buying herbs and tinctures:
• Listed in my books and website.

For Further Information:
• Visit www.susunweed.com
• Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, Ash Tree Publishing, Susun Weed

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com

For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com

Susun S. Weed is the author of four highly-acclaimed books on herbs and women's health: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, Healing Wise, New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way and Breast Cancer? Breast Health! the Wise Woman Way. Ms. Weed lectures world-wide on women's health and herbal medicine. From her home in New York State's Catskill Mountains, she directs the activities of the Wise Woman Center, acts as editor-in-chief of Ash Tree Publishing, personally oversees the work of 400 correspondence students, and trains herbal and shamanic apprentices. Susun has lived the simple life for nearly 40 years as an herbalist, goatkeeper, homesteader, and feminist. She has been called "a true radical - deeply rooted," "a modern pioneer," and "one of the founding mothers of herbal medicine in the United States†.