superfeast | INSTAGRAM | OCT 28

🌿TONIC HERBS FOR A HEALTHY PREGNANCY (read full blog via link in bio) One of the questions we get asked a lot on SuperFeast is “which herbs can I take while pregnant and breastfeeding?” For a generally healthy and strong mama, tonic herbs can be an awesome ally for pregnancy and for postpartum healing. WHICH HERBS TO AVOID: In general, during pregnancy you want to avoid herbs that move the blood or clear stasis, which basically means you don’t want anything too strong that’s going to stimulate your body towards a miscarriage. Some of the most important ones to be careful of in the tonic herb arena are Angelica sinesis also known as dong quai and shatavari, known as asparagus root, both of which feature in our women’s blend I Am Gaia. These herbs are generally fine postpartum, but are not recommended taken without supervision during pregnancy. WHICH TONIC HERBS ARE SAFE FOR PREGNANCY? -Reishi: a Class A safety herb generally safe for most women. -Eucommia Bark: used to help strengthen the lower back in the mama and the baby’s skeleton -Deer Antler: used to calm a ‘restless foetus’ -Mason’s Mushrooms: support Qi; in general these are safe for most women -Astragalus: supports Qi and promotes circulation WHICH TONIC HERBS ARE SAFE FOR POSTPARTUM? -Schizandra: helps tone the uterus, restore the body (careful if you suspect a high toxic load, as schizandra can be detoxifying and ideally we save detoxing til after breastfeeding stops) -I Am Gaia: helps to rebuild Blood and Qi -JING: helps to rebuild Jing (making a baby takes a tonne of Jing!) -Mason’s Mushrooms: support Qi -Astragalus: supports Qi and healing -Deer Antler: assists recovery -Eucommia Bark/Cordyceps: helps to recover Yang energy depleted during birth -NB: Neural Nectar is not safe while breastfeeding due to the inclusion of mucuna and its possible interference with lactaction. HOW MUCH SHOULD I TAKE? Less is more with tonic herbs during pregnancy. We like to keep the dose low (1/4 - 1/2 tsp) and recommend you take it easy during this time. We hope this helps to clear up any confusion around tonic herbs and pregnancy. Read the full article online. Let us know if you have any questions, call us on 1300 76