Message #989 - THE_HERBALIST Date: 12-22-95 11:50 From: Morgan To: Vulpie Subject: Pregnancy: Miscarriage 1/2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 93:9040/13 b28c65a2 ---------- Recipe via UNREGISTERED Meal-Master (tm) v8.01 Title: The Threat of Miscarriage part 1 Categories: Pregnancy Yield: 5 formulas -------------------------TINCTURE FOR PREVENTION OF------------------------- --------------------------------MISCARRIAGE-------------------------------- 3 pt Cramp bark 1 pt Black haw 1 pt False unicorn root 80-100 proof alcohol ---------------------------TEA FOR PREVENTION OF--------------------------- --------------------------------MISCARRIAGE-------------------------------- 2 pt Wild yam root 1 pt Black haw 1 pt Cramp bark ------------------------TEA TO ARREST SPOT BLEEDING------------------------ 2 pt Shepherd's purse 1 pt Raspberry leaf 2 pt Nettle leaf -------------------------TINCTURE TO STOP BLEEDING------------------------- 1 pt Fresh shepherd's purse 1 pt Fresh yarrow flowers and ...leaves 80-100 proof alcohol ---------------------------TEA FOR NERVOUS STRESS--------------------------- 2 pt Chamomile 3 pt Lemon balm 1 pt Squaw vine 1 pt Skullcap 1/8 pt Valerian The threat of miscarriage is a very serious matter. You will want to consult your midwife and/or physician right away if you experience any unusual symptoms. Occasionally miscarriage is the body's natural response to certain conditions and no intervention, whether herbal or medical, can or should oppose the body's purpose. However, when miscarriage is threatened because of stress, inadequate diet, hormonal imbalance, trauma, or weak uterine muscles, herbs can provide the extra nourishment and strength needed to correct the imbalanced flow of energy. Bed rest and removal of the stress factors supersede everything. Follow with herb teas and gentle strengthening meals. Call a friend to help out with meals and housework. One of the worst things you can do is to try to get back on your feet and take control. Rest and relax. Let others do for you. If possible, your home room should be light and airy, with fresh air circulating. Open the curtains and windows if the weather permits. Have sprigs of fresh herbs such as lavender and lemon balm, if available, to hold and press, and don't overlook a bouquet of fresh flowers placed by your bedside. The aroma from the fresh plants gives courage to the soul. This is generally a time of emotional crisis, and friends should make it as comfortable and life-sustaining as possible for the expectant mother, father, and infant. Many women have early miscarriages and never suspect it. It is estimated that upwards to forty percent of all pregnancies are terminated in the very early stages and are mistaken for heavy or late menstrual cycles. Excess bleeding, cramps, and clotting associated with symptoms of early pregnancy--swollen breasts and delayed menstruation, followed by a heavy period--it may be that you are pregnant. If the miscarriage happens within the early weeks, low progesterone levels may be at fault. Progesterone is the hormone necessary for maintenance of pregnancy. Check with your doctor, who can give you tests to determine if a low progesterone level is the problem. However, it is not recommended to take synthetic progesterone. Long-term results have not been adequately studied and the tests that have been done indicate that synthetic progesterone therapy may cause birth defects in children. We do not want to repeat the mistake of the infamous synthetic estrogen (DES) that was used to prevent miscarriages and produced daughters and sons with DES-related abnormalities. Wild yam root is specifically recommended as a progesterone-stimulating herb. Many other herbs, such as chaste berry, help regulate and normalize hormones and can be safely used. HERBAL REMEDIES TO PREVENT MISCARRIAGE ů Vitamin E, in doses up to 600 I.U. per day (50 I.U. if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes) can help prevent miscarriage. The following herbal formulas have also proved helpful in preventing miscarriage. T I N C T U R E F O R P R E V E N T I O N O F M I S C A R R I A G E It is wise to make this formula into a tincture at the beginning of pregnancy. (See General Formulas for a Healthy Pregnancy for directions on making tinctures.) If for some reason, miscarriage does threaten, you will have an excellent remedy prepared. Add « teaspoon of the tincture to ¬ cup warm water or tea and drink every half hour. It may be taken as a tea also, but is not as effective. If miscarriage does not threaten, the tincture keeps for a long time and may be kept for the next pregnancy or given to a friend for her pregnancy. T E A F O R P R E V E N T I O N O F M I S C A R R I A G E Use 4-6 tablespoons of herb mixture per quart of water. Add herbs to cold water and bring to a slow simmer over low heat. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, keeping pot tightly covered. Take ¬ cup every half hour until symptoms cease. Use the tea in conjunction with the tincture above. Decrease the dosage of tea as symptoms subside. T E A T O A R R E S T S P O T B L E E D I N G If you start to bleed during pregnancy, make this tea immediately. Use 4-6 tablespoons of herb mixture per quart of water. Boil water and pour over herbs. Cover tightly and infuse 10-20 minutes. Strain. Drink ¬ cup at a time, every half hour until bleeding subsides. Notify your midwife and/or physician. ...Continued in The Threat of Miscarriage part 2 ----- --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: Boycott Nestl‚!!!! Labor of Love (MAIL ONLY) - 405-250 (93:9040/13) @PATH: 9040/13 10 0 9000/0 9004/0 Message #991 - THE_HERBALIST Date: 12-22-95 11:53 From: Morgan To: Vulpie Subject: Pregnancy: Prolonged Labor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 93:9040/13 b28c65a4 ---------- Recipe via UNREGISTERED Meal-Master (tm) v8.01 Title: When Labor is Prolonged Categories: Pregnancy Yield: 1 formula ------------------------TINCTURE TO FACILITATE LABOR------------------------ 1 pt Blue cohosh 1 pt Black cohosh 3 pt Pennyroyal leaf (not oil) 80-100 proof alcohol Do not use teas to hasten labor simply because you are impatient! Each child has his or her own birthing rhythm and it should not be disturbed except in an emergency. Frequently, that rhythm does not correspond to the designated calendar birthing time (or the doctor's schedule), but unless the birth is VERY overdue there is generally no need to worry. The tea formulas are used only when a prolonged labor has become debilitating to the mother and/or child and when it is necessary, for health reasons, to manipulate the timing. Sometimes a warm bath made with chamomile and/or valerian is relaxing and soothing enough to hasten delivery. Herbal tinctures and teas can be used in conjunction with warm herbal baths to facilitate labor. A special massage oil made of fresh grated ginger combined with valerian and lavender has proven useful when massaged over the back and stomach muscles. Make the oil ahead of time. Follow the directions for making herbal oils in the Hemorrhoids section (just stop and bottle the oil before the heating and beeswax step!). T I N C T U R E T O F A C I L I T A T E L A B O R For instructions on making tinctures, see General Formulas for a Healthy Pregnancy. Dilute « teaspoon of the tincture in ¬ cup of warm water every 30 minutes, or as often as needed. The taste is somewhat unpleasant. You may wish to dilute the tincture in peppermint tea to camouflage the flavor. Sometimes a shift in energy is all that's needed to encourage the birth. Master herbalist Rosemary Gladstar tells the following story: Years ago, on the land where the herb school was located, a friend wished to have her child in our tepee. Circular, white, and sacred, it was located next to the pond and seemed like a lovely place to give birth. Several weeks before her due date, she and her family settled in. Life in the tepee was good. But the weather in coastal California in the middle of the summer can get really hot. And in that tepee in the open sun-drenched meadow, with a belly stretching to give birth, my friend found it hot indeed. When her birthing time came, the breeze stopped, the sun beat down hotter that ever, and it seemed as if everything--including her contractions--had come to a standstill. She'd start and then she'd stop. This went on for several days. Her frustration began to reflect the hot, still days of that California summer. One afternoon when I stopped in to check on my friend, I was appalled at how thick and heavy the energy was in the tepee. Something needed to happen. The wind needed to blow, the trees to dance, the energy in the tepee to move. Instinctively, I began to sing to my friend. And then I began to dance. Luckily, there were a couple of other women in the tepee who joined in the singing, for my own voice is notoriously out of tune. The midwife present happened to be an accomplished belly dancer (the dance of birth) and she began to sway in a beautiful rhythm. It was really lovely and exotic. And, of course, very soon thereafter the wind began to blow and the energy to undulate in the tepee. Within hours, my friend gave birth to her fifth child. Today, on the small knoll beside the tepee, there's a lovely tall eucalyptus tree growing where the placenta was planted. ----- --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: Boycott Nestl‚!!!! Labor of Love (MAIL ONLY) - 405-250 (93:9040/13) @PATH: 9040/13 10 0 9000/0 9004/0