Fixing the Girl with Herbs

I have a plan. I've decided it's time to have another child after 8 years. I'm feeling like it's now or never basically. So, instead of heading to the doctor for fertility drugs/treatment I'm going to start with herbs.

I've ordered bulk supplies of emmenagogue herbs (herbs that promote menstruation) so that I can jump start my cycle again after months without bleeding - all though I can feel the start of it this morning. It's the dark moon, so that's my typical time. But just in case, my herbal friends are on their way. Once I get everything "flushed" out I plan on starting a fertility promoting program with Susan Weed's red clover recipe (see below). Skullcap is also said to be beneficial to fertility so that's a possible ally too.

Below are some of the emmenagogues I'll be working with. Be smart when using these sorts of natural medicines. Research, research, and research some more. You don't want to be casual with your health. Look for second, third, and even fourth opinions and sources for information. Emmenagogues can cause miscarriages in pregnant women.

Pennyroyal - probably the most dangerous and reported to have been used by Native American Indians for centuries to induce abortion. This would also classify it as an abortificient.

Mugwort (Common Mugwort) - a more subtle relative of wormwood (artemesia absinthium) with a nice earthly flavor. Sacred to the Goddess Artemis from who it gets it botanical name: artemesia vulgaris.

Motherwort - traditionally used in China to prevent pregnancy and induce menstruation.

Yarrow - a nice, mild emmenagogue with a long history of medicinal use, especially in the healing of wounds.

What Susan Weed says about Red Clover and it's use in promoting fertility:

"One of the most cherished of the fertility-increasing plants is red clover (Trifolium pratense). Common in fields and along roadsides, it has bright pink (not really red) blossoms from mid-summer into the chilly days of fall. A favorite flower of the honeybees, the tops (blossoms and appending leaves) are harvested on bright sunny days and eaten as is, or dried for medicinal use. The raw blossoms are delicious in salads and nutritious when cooked with grains such as rice or millet.

To make a fertility-enhancing infusion, I take one ounce by weight of the dried blossoms (fresh won't work for this application) and put them in a quart size canning jar. I fill the jar with boiling water, screw on a tight lid, and let it steep at room temperature overnight (or for at least four hours). Dozens of women have told me that they had successful pregnancies after drinking a cup or more (up to four cups) a day of red clover infusion."

Source: http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Fertility_Herbs.htm

In addition to growing my own, I order my herbs from MountainRose - Bulk Organic Herbs