by Matthew Wood
Note: Rubus canadensis (raspberry) has been used for hundreds of years as a pregnancy tonic. Modern physicians have mistakenly assumed it is an emmenagogue and abortifacient, and tend to discourage even the consumption of raspberry fruit and tea during pregnancy. This has no basis in scientific research or fact; Rubus is not an emmenagogue but a nutritive astringent.
Pregnancy, Labor: • Achillea (clumsiness before delivery due to hormonal changes loosening the tendons—Fogg; used afterwards to prevent excessive bleeding and pain) • Anthemis (cross, peevish, contradictory) • Agrimonia (unwraps the cord from around the baby; confirmed many times—Wood and several midwives) • Aristolochia serpentaria (homeopathic; depressed and septic tissue state; exhaustion, cold feet and general cold; ineffective labor, with great sense of coldness—this was often followed by childbed fever in the old days;) • Ballota (false and premature labor pains) • Betonica (anticipation, hysteria, weak contractions; during last three weeks of pregnancy) • Caulophyllum (used for delayed labor, low oxytocin; erratic and exhausted contractions; weak uterus; rigid os; history of inflammation; almost never fails, but large doses stress the baby, so it is only used in homeopathic or small doses) • Chamomilla (see Anthemis) • CIMICIFUGA (weak, irregular contractions; rigid os; Braxton Hicks pains; feeble, erratic contractions; in first stage of labor) • Commiphora myrrha (uterine inertia—7Song) • Dioscorea • Dipsacus • Erigeron (postpartum bleeding) • GOSSYPIUM (poor oxytocin release, simple uterine exhaustion) • Helonias • Hydrastis (5 drops every twenty minutes) • Lactuca • Leonurus (encourages labor, relieves false contractions; tincture, not tea) • Lobelia (prolonged labor, severe spasms; rigid os) • Mitchella (to prevent hemorrhage) • Myrica (has moved the baby from breach position; eases labor; last few days of pregnancy) • Panax quinquefolius (reduces labor pains—Weiss) • Piscidia (erratic labor pains) • Potentilla • Ricinus (castor oil pack, to induce) • Sambucus (last three weeks of pregnancy when there is a blue complexion, inactive fetus; 3 drops, 3 times a day) • Scutellaria (nervous fear, anticipation) • Smilacina (uneven loosening of pelvic floor; loosens the symphysis pubis—Wolff) • Trillium (promotes labor, lessens hemorrhage and prolapse) • Ustilago (uterine inertia) • Valeriana • Verbena (tension, depression, exhaustion; increases contractions, relaxes system generally) • Viburnum opulus, V. trilobum (bearing-down and explosive labor, Braxton Hicks contractions) • VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM (premature contractions) • Ulmus (mucilage used to lubricate the birth channel in the last few days) • Zingiberis (muscle relaxant; tea).
Note: When clumsiness sets in, labor will follow within forty-eight hours, according to Wendy Fogg. A round of ginger tea in the room, as labor starts, relaxes everyone, according to my friend Margi Flint. Remember Dr. Bach’s Rescue Remedy for stress or panic in the mother or those attending.
Pregnancy, to Prevent Cesarean: • Agrimonia (unwinds cord from around the neck; confirmed in over ten years’ practice—a midwife, and Wood) • Artemisia vulgaris (moxibustion to “warm the uterus”) • Cayenne (exhausted labor, in women with atonic muscles) • Cimicifuga (cervical spasm) • Lobelia (cervical spasm) • Myrica (breach presentation—moves the fetus; uterine weakness, confirmed) • Ricinus (castor oil pack, to induce labor) • Ustilago (uterine inertia) • Zingiberis (cup of tea at beginning of labor as a relaxant).
Pregnancy, Postpartum: • ACHILLEA (hemorrhage, tissue trauma; for immediate use; up to 1 ml in the mouth—Piorier), • ALCHEMILLA (blood loss, anemia, weakness; torn, atonic tissues; emotional depression) • APIUM (exhaustion, electrolyte loss, and pain; stalk, leaf, seed tea) • Arctostaphylos (tearing or episiotomy; sitz bath) • Aristolochia serpentaria (toxic—use homeopathic doses only; to expel placenta; low febrile state from childbed fever) • Arnica (bruising; but see Bellis) • Asparagus racemosa • BELLIS (homeopathic, though herb can be used too; deep internal bruising, common to most births; “save your arnica”—Murphy) • CALENDULA (bleeding, tearing, irritated, or dry vaginal walls; episiotomy) • Cannabis (childbed fever with mania) • Capsella (subinvolution of the uterus; passive bleeding becoming chronic) • Caulophyllum (after pains) • Ceanothus (poor coagulation) • Cinnamomum (with oil of Erigeron—Ellingwood’s famous formula for profuse bleeding) • Cimicifuga (puerperal mania) • Crocus sativum (suppressed lochia) • Dipsacus (torn muscles) • Erigeron (oil) • Geranium • Gossypium (lack of contraction; passive hemorrhage) • Hamamelis (soreness after delivery) • HEDEOMA (retained placenta, with pungent heat; “one of the best”—Scudder) • Helonias (postpartum hemorrhage) • HYDRASTIS (passive hemorrhage) • Hydrangea (back pain) • Hypericum (injured nerves; pain in coccyx) • Leonurus (suppressed lochia; depression after delivery; use tincture, not tea) • Mentha piperita (suppressed lochia) • Rehmannia (for rebuilding blood; cooked) • Ricinus (castor oil on stretch marks; use for 4–6 months) • Rubia (expels placenta) • Rubus canadensis (recuperative) • Senecio vulgaris (small dosage—Weiss) • Silybum (“milk thistle”; pelvic, venous congestion, stasis, prolapse after birth; initiates and promotes milk) • Staphysagria (homeopathic; after cesarean) • Tribulus • Ulmus (convalescent nutritive tonic) • URTICA (slows postpartum bleeding, reduces hemorrhoids, increases milk) • Ustilago (passive hemorrhage) • Veratrum viride (homeopathic only; strong pulse following overexertion, with nervousness, anguish, pelvic tension) • Verbena (exhaustion after hard labor) • VITEX (to reset postpartum pituitary regulation).
Uterine Subinvolution (prolapse following birth): • Asclepias asperula (with poor drainage) • CAPSELLA (muscular weakness, oozing blood) • Cimicifuga (dull ache, sense of heaviness) • Collinsonia (dull ache, rectal symptoms, aggravated by diet; congested portal vein backing up to gall bladder) • Fraxinus (with headache of crown, occiput; hemorrhagic bleeding).
Lactation and Breast Health
Note: Also see Susun Weed’s Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way (1996).
Lactation: • Acacia (sore nipples; external) • ALCHEMILLA (restores tone after lactation) • Agnus • Selenicereus (to initiate; depression after cessation of lactation) • ANETHUM (increases milk) • Aralia racemosa (opens the ducts) • Baptisia (antiseptic; sore nipples) • Borago (increases milk) • Calendula (engorgement; external) • Carum carvi (increases milk) • Centaurium • CHAMOMILLA (mother angry or irritable; inflammation, sore nipples; suppressed, cheesy milk) • Cimicifuga (excess reflex pain) • Cetraria • Codonopsis (fatigue, weak digestion, blood deficiency; increases milk) • CNICUS (blessed thistle; to initiate) • Cynara (can reduce milk production) • FOENICULUM (increases milk in mild sympathetic excess, nervousness, causing suppression) • GALEGA (increases milk) • Gossypium (poor letdown or oxytocin release) • Hydrastis (salve, when the baby has sore mouth) • Medicago (increases milk quantity and quality) • Melissa • Ocimum • Pimpinella (increases milk) • Pulsatilla (painful, swollen breasts) • Ricinus (to bring in the milk, reduce inflammation and swelling, open ducts; oil, external only) • Rosmarinus (to reduce excessive flow) • Rubus canadensis (exhaustion of lactation) • Rheum (to “keep the milk cool and healthy”—Tilke; small doses) • Salvia (to check galactorrhea; otherwise avoid during lactation) • Sambucus (deficient flow with spoiling of milk; breast swelling) • SCROPHULARIA (enlarged and indurated glands; very useful in dissipation of breast tumors, drowsiness; for women with large breasts; specific affinity for the breast; tincture and first dilution) • Silybum (initiates, increases flow) • Tribulus • Trigonella (increases milk; restores tone, cycle after lactation; assists infantile digestion) • Urtica (stimulates milk, provides iron; 5 drops in hot water every 4 hours) • Verbena • VITEX (increases quantity).
Note: Cabbage leaf may be placed around the breasts to prevent mastitis. Add bananas to the diet to balance deficient potassium.
Breast Infection, Mastitis, Abscess: • Acacia (fissured nipples; external) • Aralia racemosa (opens the ducts) • Bellis (red streaks radiating from a central point outwards) • Bryonia (hom
eopathic; “with swollen lymphatics, marked inflammation”—M. Moore; “as soon as the first symptoms” appear—Clarke) • Calendula (congestion, pain deep in lymphatic ducts, sore nipples) • Capsella (hot compress) • Chamomilla (pain, irritation, short-tempered mother or child) • Cichorium (sore breasts from abundance of milk) • Chimaphila (indurated glands) • Daucus (cracked nipples; external) • Mentha piperita (mastitis; external) • Melilotus (soothing poultice for congestion) • Mitchella (sore nipples) • PHYTOLACCA (pain during breastfeeding; mastitis; indurated glands; abscess; painful nipples; external only—do not get in baby’s mouth) • Plantain (external) • Pulsatilla (nervous, painful and swollen breasts) • Salvia (excess flow; weaning; contraindicated if milk production is desired) • Sambucus (add to breast remedies when there is fever) • Sinapis alba (cold compress) • Smilax (retracted nipples) • Trifolium (encysted gland) • Symphytum (poultice on abscess) • Thymus serpyllum (mastitis; oil; do not use externally) • Ulmus (external) • VERBENA (restorative, for postpartum exhaustion; increases milk secretion and flow; increases absorption of nutrients from food).
Breast Health: • Achillea (removes congealed blood from bruise, which is believed to cause cancer) • Aloe vera (external) • Angelica sinensis (breast tenderness, stagnation, congestion) • Aralia racemosa (opens ducts) • Astragalus (increases blood flow to surface) • Baptisia (smelly discharge from nipple) • Bellis (bruising) • BUPLEURUM (“swollen and painful breasts or nodules”—Huang) • Calendula (swollen glands) • Ceanothus (fibrocystic breast disease) • Chimaphila (for large-breasted women; lymphatic stagnation with kidney deficiency causing damp stagnation; sexually inactive) • Cimicifuga (breast pain at menopause; breast lumps) • Equisetum (tones) • Fucus (source of iodine, required for breast health) • GALIUM (fibrocystic breast disease; extensive cystic tissue; discharge) • Helonias • LILIUM LONGIFLORUM (fibrocystic breast disease; soft, moveable cysts) • JUGLANS NIGRA (Native American women rub on breasts to prevent cancer—needs confirmation) • Medicago (nourishing) • Melissa (tenderness, pain) • Oenothera (oil) • Phytolacca (tenderness, pain; hard, dangerous lumps; large-breasted women; fibrocystic breast disease) • Rosmarinus (tenderness, pain) • Rubus canadensis (tones) • Sabal (nutritious for breast tissue; swollen, tender) • Scrophularia (congestion of lymph and blood; large-breasted women; specific affinity to the breast) • Smilax (sarsaparilla) • STELLARIA (hard breast tissue) • Stillingia (lymphatic stagnation) • Trigonella (paste on breasts for enlargement and tone—Chevallier) • TRIFOLIUM (hard, dangerous cysts) • Vitex (tenderness, pain; prolactin regulation).
Breast Cysts and Lumps: • Ceanothus (large, painful cysts; lymph stagnation) • Chimaphila (in large-breasted woman, lymphatic stagnation) • Cimicifuga • Fucus (internal, external) • GALIUM (fibrocystic disease; many small cysts) • LILIUM LONGIFLORUM (soft lumps, changing from cycle to cycle) • PHYTOLACCA (hard, suspicious cysts) • STELLARIA (external) • TRIFOLIUM (hard, suspicious cysts) • VITEX (hormonally responsive cysts; continue over several months).
Breast Cancer: • Achillea (from a bruise) • Calendula • CONIUM (homeopathic, originally used as an herb on the breast; from a bruise to the breast) • Phytolacca (oil, externally) • Quercus (lymphedema after removal of glands) • Trifolium (encysts the tumor but does not destroy it; excellent in combination with surgery) • Viola.
Note: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Native American medicine, and homeopathy, it is believed that a blow causing a bruise can result in cancer formation on the bruise site. Our Native teacher, Tis Mal Crow, used to say, “always treat a bruise, because a bruise can turn to bad blood, and bad blood can turn to cancer.” When I repeated this to a Kickapoo Indian from Mexico, she smiled and said, “Yes, that is always what they told us.”
Another comment needs to be made about red clover: it very often grows an encysting membrane around the tumor, limiting its interaction with the environment and controlling but not eradicating the cancer. Therefore, it should be used in combination with surgery. This remedy is particularly good for younger women in their late thirties or early forties with aggressive breast cancer. Finally, many other cancer remedies listed as general cancer remedies in the “Cancer” section can be used for breast cancer.
Libido, Relationships, Emotions, Female Constitutions
Sexual and Romantic Desires and Issues: • Acorus (“lack of mental presence interfering with sexual presence”—Donahue) • Agrimonia (tension, stress, “bad-hair day”—Wood; “it’s hard to feel sexy with bad hair”—Sedlacek) • Albizia (difficulty feeling glad) • Angelica sinensis (increases sex drive, especially for menopausal and postmenopausal women; dry skin and vagina) • Apium (increases flexibility, for sexual enjoyment) • Aristolochia serpentaria (depressed circulation and intestinal function; emotional distraction and cooling of the skin during lovemaking) • Artemisia vulgaris (lost romantic aspirations from hardship—LeSassier) • ASPARAGUS RACEMOSA (“she of a thousand husbands”; increases libido, fertility) • Chamomilla (for the partner that whines) • Cimicifuga (withdrawn, brooding, abusive relationship) • Codonopsis (weak, thin, dried-out, tired) • Crataegus (opens the heart and imagination) • Eleutherococcus (reduces stress—hard to want sex when feeling stressed) • Gossypium (arousal, but weak and vague uterine contractions—M. Moore) • Humulus (excessive nervousness, anxiety) • Lavandula (overly fastidious) • Leonurus (menopausal and hormonal nervousness, bossiness) • Lilium (conflicted desires, especially sexual) • Melissa (nervous, anxious) • MONARDA FISTULOSA (increases sensations, helps deal with passion; “lack of passionate steam” with vaginal dryness, burning sensations, speaking loudly here!—Flint) • Nuphar (trapped, dry pelvic heat causing irritable libido; seeks sex for release of tension but is unconnected and unfulfilled; corresponding creative blockages—Hale; confirmed—Donahue) • Nymphaea (lascivious thoughts; lovesickness) • Ocimum (calming, centering) • Oplopanax (increases sexual confidence, establishes healthy sexual boundaries, increases desire) • Origanum (lovesickness) • Panax quinquefolius (fatigue; vaginal dryness) • Passiflora (anxiety, mental chatter, inability to relax) • Piper methysticum (anxiety; pelvic tension) • Polygonum hydropiperoides (aversion) • Prunus serotina (misuse of heart by another; irregular pulse) • Pulsatilla (nervousness, performance anxiety, fear of no arousal, depression regarding sexuality, male-dependence, sensitive to criticism of her own sex; easily manipulated) • Rosmarinus (out of the mood from a headache) • Salix nigra (lascivious thoughts, excessive desire) • Salvia (excessive desire) • SCHISANDRA (lack of libido from exhaustion; “seldom fails”—Patel) • Scutellaria laterifolia (overstimulated, nervous) • Smilacina (pelvic discomfort) • Smilax (sexual debility) • Tribulus (low desire) • Turnera (depression with loss of libido; sexual performance anxiety; calming and energizing; heightens sense of touch) • Verbascum (increases sensations) • Verbena (stiff neck, nymphomania from hormonal imbalance; idealistic, neurotic) • WITHANIA (deficient energy and libido; hypothyroidism).
Relationships: • Agrimonia (sorts out legal issues fairly in a divorce) • Artemisia absinthium, A. vulgaris (cruel and unfeeling; repetitive-cycle relationships) • CHAMOMILLA (one party whines) • CIMICIFUGA (attracted to deep emotional ties that are later hard to break; withdrawn; magnetic women) • Geranium (helps separate energies quickly in a breakup) • Mitchella (can’t understand what her partner wants—traditional Native American use) • PULSATILLA (mate-dependent, has difficulty thinking for herself, feels she needs directions; emotionally labile, outside herself) • Sepia (homeopathic; loves husband and children, but so exhausted she can’t cope) • Solidago (exhausted from divorce, broken covenants; tired feet) • Trillium (helps relationships) • Verbena (thin, stiff-necked; perfectionist, idealist).
Sexual Exhaustion, Neurasthenia: • AVENA (“slow-acting, but unbeatable if used for a long time”—Sedlacek) • Eryngium spp. (nymphomania; overly sensitive urethra) • Nuphar (dryness) • Panax ginseng (dep
ression associated with sexual inadequacy) • Panax quinquefolius (dry, atrophic, debilitated; loss of fluids; exhaustion of brain, nervous system; menopause) • Polygonatum multiflorum (profound sexual exhaustion) • Smilax (sexual debility) • Salvia (premature menopause; excessive or deficient desire) • Staphysagria (homeopathic; with violation issues) • Turnera (sexual debility) • Vitex (sexual exhaustion from abuse, exploitation, or overactivity).
Sexual Suppression (effects of long-term celibacy): • CONIUM (homeopathic).
Physical Constitution: • Achillea (sanguine, athletic, but clumsy before period) • Alchemilla (pale, anemic, sensitive women with vaginal disorders) • ALETRIS (thin, dry, atrophic, infertile; poor digestion) • Angelica (pale, asthenic; or full, sanguine) • Capsella (thin, dry) • Caulophyllum (large, full build with poorly toned tissues; with uterine pains and tenderness) • Cimicifuga (dark, introspective, magnetic) • Helonias (“backachy females”—Boericke) • Lilium longiflorum (glowing skin) • Liriodendron (wiry, tough, dried-out, spastic) • Mitchella (thin, tall, angular, dark-haired, athletic; too much on their minds) • Phytolacca (large-breasted, fatigued) • Pulsatilla (emotionally labile, dependent, nervous, sometimes blonde) • Rosmarinus (pale, weak, cold; amenorrhea) • Senecio aureus (relaxed, atonic conditions; pallor, anemia, blood loss, excessive fluid loss; uterine prolapse, infertility, backache) • Scrophularia (large breasts) • Verbena (thin, overly intense, neurotic; food cravings).
Rape, Abuse: • Alchemilla (vaginal tear) • Artemisia absinthium (1-drop dose, once a week, to process memories of abuse—Wood; “one week of therapy per drop”—Donahue; do not use a larger dose) • Artemisia vulgaris (recovery from hardship, poverty, abuse, obstetric injury, abortion; “female nature injured”—LeSassier) • Cimicifuga (dark, brooding state of mind; after abuse) • Nuphar (pelvic tension) • Oplopanax • Pulsatilla (suggestible, uncertain of emotions) • Rosmarinus (poultice on genitals for rape trauma, even long afterward) • STAPHYSAGRIA (homeopathic specific for feeling violated) • Vitex (small doses, after rape or assault—Welliver).