When you think about raspberries, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Probably not menstruation and childbirth right? And yet, that's what raspberries have been used for, for decades.
Raspberry leaves can help with quick and safe labor during pregnancy, and fast postpartum recovery and healthy breast milk production after pregnancy. To back up herbalists, scientific researchers have found an alkaloid within the leaves that relaxes and strengthens pelvic and uterine muscles--meaning beyond childbirth, it can also help with menstrual cramps and lessen excess menstrual bleeding.
Raspberry leaf can also be helpful with hormonal changes that follow a miscarriage or discontinuing birth control. If you've changed something in your life/diet/ medication that has caused an imbalance in your hormones, raspberry leaf can help.
Nowadays, with the resurgence of popularity in herbalism, you can find it pre-packaged quite easily at most grocery stores. Otherwise, it's easy to find a loose-leaf version at many co-ops or online.
