A Peek Inside: Mother’s Milk

Wisewoman and best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver once said, “Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” Moms can seem superhuman at times, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel the pressure of parenting, particularly when it comes to feeding their child. New moms have a lot of decisions to make when welcoming in a new member of the family, and one of them is whether or not to breastfeed. If you decide that breastfeeding is right for you and your child, our herbal products can help. New mothers have been using herbs for thousands of years to support healthy lactation and breast milk production.* Herbalists call these herbs “galactagogues”—a word derived from Greek, meaning “bringer of milk.”

Our Mother’s Milk® tea is formulated with galactagogues to support healthy lactation and milk production in nursing mothers.*

We based Mother’s Milk on anise and fennel lactation teas that are available in European pharmacies, particularly in German‐speaking countries. Seeds from the Apiaceae family of plants, such as aniseed, bitter fennel, coriander, and blessed thistle are classified as having galactagogue action. All have a long history of traditional use in Europe for promoting the production of breast milk.* Hippocrates, a Greek physician in the 4th century B.C.E., suggested using fennel to promote milk production. Our original Mother’s Milk tea blends these same herbs for a sweet, slightly bitter, and distinctly licorice taste.

We take great care when blending this formula so this tea is helpful to you and your newborn. Formulated in 1978 Mother’s Milk is standing strong as America’s #1 lactation tea[1]. If you’re a breastfeeding mom on-the-go, you may also want to try our Mother’s Milk bars and chews, easy to pack in your purse or pocket and enjoy at a moment’s notice. Whether you choose our teas, bars or chews, you can rest assured that these herbs have an incredibly rich history of use, tapping into a tradition that’s been passed down to nursing moms for generations.

[1] SPINS (2019), Combined Natural, Specialty & Conventional Retailers 4/21/19. Chicago IL: SPINS.