Ayurvedic medicines to increase breast milk

Breast feeding is beneficial for mother as well as child. Mostly mother breast produces enough milk for baby but sometime mother gets really less milk than desired for baby. Some changes in diet and adequate intake of fluid and proper help of some common herbs and homoeopathic medicines improve quality as well as quantity of milk production.
Ayurvedic herbs can increase breast milk production. Besides medicinal plants, there are lifestyle suggestions that were known in the ancient system of holistic medicine
Ayurveda mentioned the causes for lack of lactation which are…
• Anger
• Grief
• Lack of feeling of love or relatedness toward the baby.
• Excessive dieting and physical exercise and resulting fatigue.
• Eating too much of dry foods – without fat or oils.
• Excessive sexual intercourse.
• Too much use of Purification processes of Ayurvedic panchakarma.
• Becoming pregnant again after a short time

Common herbs used to increase milk flow are:
Fenugreek seeds are herb that is most often used to increase milk supply. It is an excellent galactagogue,
Fennel seed stimulates milk flow and relieves gas and colic. It increases breast milk production, but also helps to expel gas and aids in digestion and relieves colic.
Anise seed (Ajwain) also promotes mother’s milk production for nursing mothers.
Galactagogue Herbs:
This group of ten herbs is useful as lactating herbs.When used properly the roots of these medicinal plants increase lactation. These herbs should be used in the form of decoction or their paste or powder should be used with milk or water.
• Virana
• Shali
• Shashtika
• Ikshuvalika
• Darbha
• Kusha
• Kasha
• Gundra Or Bhadramustaka
• Itakata
• Katrina root
Other Substances That Increase Breast Milk Production:
• Alcoholic preparations that are self-fermented and contain very low quantity of alcohol (7-12%) are used in low dosage
• Meat soup of animals except of cow and pig.
• Vegetable and pulses soups are also good preparations.
• The diet should be rich in fluid, sweet, sour and salty taste.
• Some of the herbs that have some form of milk secreted from their body parts can stimulate lactation like Dugadhika, Kalambika.
• Taking adequate milk in one’s diet is also essential.
• Garlic and onion are also good stimulant.
• Coconut is also a good supplement.
• The diet should have adequate fat in the form of oils and clarified butter.
• Use cereals like rice
• Cow’s milk and curd are to be taken in diet.
• One should be allowed to take the delicious food articles of one’s choice.