Some Lactnetters may remember that I posted a query about a month ago about a mother
of a 3 month old infant who had a sudden drop in the amount of milk that she could pump
for him whilst she was at work. I made many suggestions to help her, but she phoned me
a week later to tell me that she had visited a chinese herbalist and had been given a
mixture called Gui Pi Wan which had miraculous effects on her supply. She had not changed
anything else about her feeding or pumping regime, but had a rapid increase in her milk
supply over the 48 hours after starting the tablets. She sent me a full list of the
ingredients, and I would love some feedback from the wise ones amongst us as to the
use of these herbs.
Zizyphus spinosa           Atractloides macrocephala
Poria cocos                Panax gingeng
Astragalus membanaceus     Polygala sibirica
Zingiber officinale        Zizyphus jujuba
Nephelium longana          Angelica polymorpha
Saussurea lappa            Glycyrrihiza uralensis

The mother took 8 pills three times a day, 1 hour away from meals.
I have never heard of any of these being used, and don't know if they are the
'real' plant names or not. Any information would be appreciated.

Fiona Coombes  MBBS  IBCLC
Perth Western Australia