Herbal care during pregnancy used to be the only option. Before pharmaceuticals, communities relied on plant knowledge to support the arc of gestation, ease the trial of labor, and aid recovery after birth. While modern safety standards have altered some of these practices, the historical record gives us insight into how people have leaned on plants to navigate reproduction for millennia.
Raspberry Leaf Rubus idaeus
Raspberry leaf is one of the most common herbs used in modern pregnancies and has a long-standing reputation as a uterine tonic.
In 1597, English herbalist John Gerard wrote that raspberry leaves were “good to be drunk against the immoderate flowing of the termes in women.” By the 1800s, American herbal doctors were prescribing it during the final trimester to strengthen the uterus and prepare for birth.
It was especially common among Eclectic physicians, who taught that raspberry leaf helped regulate contractions and reduce the risk of hemorrhage. Rural midwives used it too, often combining it with peppermint or nettle in late pregnancy teas. In Black Southern midwifery traditions, it sometimes appeared in labor blends with cinnamon, clove, or ginger.
Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides
Blue cohosh was never a gentle remedy. Historically it was used to bring on menstruation or initiate labor, it was employed by several Indigenous nations across the eastern U.S., including the Lenape and Cherokee.
European settlers adopted it, and by the 1830s it was standard in Eclectic and Thomsonian practice. It shows up in King’s American Dispensatory (1898) as a “powerful parturient,” with references to its use during the final days of pregnancy to trigger labor. In some 19th-century birth kits, it was paired with black cohosh and ergot to manage difficult labors. It was used in tincture or decoction form and often taken with strong warming herbs like ginger or capsicum to enhance the effect.
Unfortunately, there is some concern that the plant referenced by indigenous healers is not the plant on the market today. This is definitely not an herb to use lightly and most modern midwives recommend blends that exclude this herb.
Yarrow Achillea millefolium
Most people think of yarrow as a wound herb, and it is, so it finds it’s place naturally for centuries to regulate bleeding during menstruation, childbirth, and postpartum recovery.
Dioscorides mentioned it in the 1st century as a treatment for “excessive discharges of blood.” In Northern and Eastern European traditions, yarrow tea was given to help bring on stalled labor or slow heavy bleeding afterward. As a styptic, it’s employed for hemorrhaging and is one of the best non-pharmaceutical options that we have.
In Irish and Scottish midwifery, it was sometimes used externally in poultices or baths for pain and bruising after birth. The astringent, styptic nature of yarrow made it a go-to in field medicine and folk gynecology.
Reishi Ganoderma lucidum
Reishi has been part of pregnancy care in East Asia for centuries. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s used to calm the spirit, build vitality, and support long-term health. These properties made it a favored herb for pregnant people needing gentle immune and energy support.
It’s reputation for soothing and aiding peace and calm has lead to the term “Reishi babies” – babies who were exposed to lots of Reishi in the womb and are said to be very easy going when born.
Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica (16th century) described it as safe for regular use and helpful in “nourishing the fetus.” It wasn’t used to stimulate labor or affect the uterus directly, but to support the system as a whole during and after pregnancy.
Partridgeberry Mitchella repens
Known among american settlers as “squaw vine,” a term clearly now recognized as disrespectful but still found in commerce, partridgeberry was used widely in Indigenous and settler midwifery.
Cherokee and Iroquois midwives used the plant as a pregnancy tonic and birth aid in a similar capacity as raspberry leaf – for uterine toning. By the 1800s, it was commonly included in “Mother’s Cordials” sold by white midwives and patent medicine companies.
Felter and Lloyd’s King’s American Dispensatory described it as a mild but reliable parturient, best used in combination with raspberry, cramp bark, or ginger in the final weeks of pregnancy.
Cramp Bark Viburnum opulus
Cramp bark was a go-to herb for uterine cramping after birth. In 1919, Finley Ellingwood described it as especially useful for “the after-pains of confinement,” noting its ability to relax smooth muscle. Practitioners often gave it as a tincture or decoction in the postpartum window, sometimes alongside motherwort or skullcap to calm both pain and nervous tension.
Earlier references from Samuel Thomson called it “high cranberry bark,” used in warming blends for new mothers. In Appalachian and Ojibwe traditions, cramp bark tea helped ease abdominal pain as the uterus contracted. As parents who have given birth know well – the afterpains can be quite severe, sometimes worse than labor. This is an incredible ally to have on your team.
Today, there’s a lot of fear around using herbs in pregnancy and birth, but many of these plants have been used consistently for centuries, with far more accumulated case history than most pharmaceuticals. That doesn’t mean they’re all safe across the board, especially the ones used to stimulate labor. Those really require caution and intelligent use.
Writing off herbs in pregnancy though, negates an incredible support system that we have relied on through the process of pregnancy and labor for most of humanity.
Plants like raspberry leaf, cramp bark, and yarrow aren’t used to force anything, they are there to tone, soothe, regulate, and strengthen your body’s existing natural systems. When used appropriately, they offer support during a time when there aren’t a ton of options and can be a hand to hold in synergy though the pregnancy and birth process.
The Postpartum Herbal Care Package
The Postpartum Herbal Care Package is a custom-crafted set of herbal remedies designed to support healing, nourishment, and recovery after birth. It includes a one-month tincture blend for uterine tone and bleeding, a mineral-rich tea for hydration and replenishment, and a soothing sitz bath for pelvic care, all safe for breastfeeding and custom formulated. A great gift for the pregnant person in your life.
