During pregnancy, your breasts get ready to make milk for your baby. Your breasts start to increase in size as your breast’s ductal system rapidly grows and multiples. Alfalfa is a phytoestrogen that can help signal the pituitary gland to release prolactin. Prolactin is the hormone that tells the breast to make more milk by collecting nutrients from the bloodstream, causing milk to be stored for the next time your baby feeds. 

Alfalfa is very nutritious and high in minerals, fiber, and protein. It boosts the quality of your milk and can increase its fat content. (1) Alfalfa is in Legendairy Milk’s Cash Cow, a blend that can be taken in the last weeks of pregnancy. It can help get milk production off to a good start if you previously experienced a low milk supply.

Found in these lactation supplements: Liquid Gold and Cash Cow

Digestive herbs, like Anise, have long been used to encourage an abundant milk supply for new mothers. Traditional seed cakes made with Anise are popular in some cultures, while in others, Anise is added to soups and stews prepared for new mothers.

Anise is high in iron, aiding in recovery from birth and reducing symptoms of fatigue and weakness. It helps the mother feel a little more energy, which is needed since feeding the new baby is an around-the-clock job. It can help reduce the incidence of baby blues and postpartum depression. (2)

Taking Anise during breastfeeding can help reduce colic symptoms in your baby as it calms their digestion as well as yours. It boosts milk supply and has been shown to help babies have better weight gain. (3)

Found in these lactation supplements: Liquid Gold and Lechita

The name Goat’s rue means “to bring milk”. It is a top pick for people with a history of low supply and to re-establish a milk supply. It contains a compound called genistein, which has been shown to increase breast tissue and milk storage capacity. For those who may not have experienced breast growth during pregnancy or have Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT), increasing milk storage helps increase overall supply as the baby nurses and milk can refill. 

PCOS and insulin resistance often go hand in hand. Milk-making glands are very sensitive to insulin. Insulin resistance can delay the onset of milk production. Goat’s rue can increase insulin sensitivity, help lower blood sugar, and increase milk supply. Goat’s rue can help nursing moms and their babies continue their breastfeeding journey for a more extended period of time. (8)

Families who choose to lactate for their adopted baby, re-lactate after stopping breastfeeding or have a baby born prematurely will find Goat’s rue a beneficial herb as part of their protocol for making milk and increasing milk supply and storage capacity. (9) It can take 2-3 weeks to notice the benefits of Goat’s rue. If you previously had a low milk supply, Goat’s rue should be considered and taken in the last weeks of pregnancy.

Found in these lactation supplements: Liquid Gold, Cash Cow, and Lechita

Have you heard of this herb? It may not be as recognizable as some other galactagogues, but it is highly beneficial and has been passed from generation to generation in Guatemala. New mothers are given tea made with Ixbut, pronounced “ish-boot”, to increase their milk flow and production.

Ixbut tea acts quickly, and an increase in milk can be noticed in as little as 48 hours of drinking it. Some people see they begin to leak milk as their supply increases from drinking Ixbut tea. Birth interventions can delay or stunt milk production. Studies show Ixbut tea after having a cesarean birth can help encourage milk production. (12)

Ixbut is enjoyable to drink. It has a soft, light, nutty flavor.

Found in this lactation supplement: Tea-Tas

Your liver’s best friend, this herb helps cleanse, detox, and balance hormones. Your liver is like a filter that removes toxins from everything your body is exposed to, from foods you eat to environmental toxins, including toxins in products you use in your home and on your body. Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs what we come into contact with in our environment. 

Our liver produces some hormones and regulates others, including keeping estrogen in check for a healthy supply and encouraging prolactin synthesis. When there is too much estrogen, it can cause a thyroid imbalance and lower milk supply. Thyroid hormones play a role in mammary development and milk production. Prolactin signals milk to be made by signaling nutrients to be pulled from the bloodstream into the cells that make and store milk until your baby nurses.

A randomized controlled trial of 50 lactating women found that they produced 85% more milk while taking silymarin (milk thistle) than another group taking a placebo after 63 days. (13)

Found in this lactation supplement: Liquid Gold

Soup and stew with Torbangun leaves are traditional foods prepared for new mothers after they have given birth to help support recovery and promote lactation. Torbangun means to “wake up”. 

It can help reduce postpartum fatigue and nurture the establishment of a milk supply. In Bataknese culture, consuming torbangun after delivery of the baby is thought to help with postpartum bleeding, acts as a uterine cleansing agent, and is warming to the body. (15)

Establishing a milk supply early on can have an impact on longer breastfeeding duration. In one study, mothers taking Torbangun had a 65% increase in milk supply after 2 weeks and were more able to maintain an adequate supply. (16)

Found in this lactation supplements: Lactavist

The ten herbs highlighted above each have different benefits and properties. Because we each have our own unique body chemistry, we can more accurately choose herbs to match our needs when supporting our postpartum experience and lactation journey. Sometimes, taking more than one herb has the most benefits. While some of Legendairy Milk’s lactation supplements contain similar ingredients, they each have a different main ingredient. Taking herbs for 7-10 days is appropriate for discovering which one or which blend is the right fit and gives you the best results. 

1. Effect of Alfalfa Forage Preservation Method and Particle Length
2. Pimpinella anisum in the treatment of functional dyspepsia
3. Effect of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Pimpinella anisum L. Seeds on Milk Production
4. The Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Nigella sativa Seeds on Serum Estradiol and Prolactin Levels and obstetric Criteria due to Hypothyroidism
5. Galactagogue action of Nigella sativa seeds
6. Alternative names for prolactin
7. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) leaf infusion effect on mammary gland activity and kidney function of lactating rats
8. Pharmacological Overview of Galactogogues
9. Efficacy of a galactogogue containing silymarin-phosphatidylserine and galega in mothers of preterm infants
10. Moringa vs Spinach: Which is Better?
11. Using Moringa for Augmentation of the Volume of Breastmilk among non-nursing mothers of preterm infants
12. A Neglected Mayan Galactagogue - Ixbut
13. Clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of BIO-C (micronized Silymarin) as a galactagogue
14. A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial for Evaluation of Galactogogue Activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd
15. What does Torbangun Taste Like
16. Lactagogue effects of Torbangun, a Bataknese traditional cuisine

1. Benefits of Alfalfa for Breastfeeding Mothers
2. Black Seed is an Herb Used to Increase Milk Production
3. Breastfeeding's legacy may protect against diabetes
4. Herbs for Lactation
5. Using Moringa to Support Your Milk Supply
6. Shatavari the “Queen of herbs”
7. Torbangun Used as a Galactagogue