Dear Lisa,
You had responded to my post about the allergic reaction to cabbage; my
source was a newspaper column by Judy Siegel who reported the results of a
study done in Israel: "Cabbage Comforts the Nursing Mother" (The Jewish
Press, 11/25/94). The study was conducted at Haifa's Rambam Hospital and
presented at the Ninth Biennial Israel Nurses Convention. The research was
conducted by Silvi Ackerman, Tamar Shema and Rahel Reches. According to the
column in the JP, Shema reported that green cabbage contains sulfa compounds
that can pass through skin, constrict vessels and slow milk flow. The
technique (of placing cabbage leaves on the breasts for half an hour twice a
day to relieve engorgement, or frequently for 6-22 hours to completely stop
milk production) is not recommended to women who are allergic to sulfa or
cabbage.
Note: The Jewish Press is a weekly newspaper produced in Brooklyn, NY,
available throughout the US and Israel, possibly other countries as well.
Pearl Shifer, M.Ed. IBCLC
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