Herbal Remedies & Women's Health

Best You Mom

Exploring traditional remedies through a women's health lens

This pillar is an evidence-informed resource exploring traditional herbal and food-based remedies. It is not a guide to replacing conventional medicine, and it does not argue that "natural" is inherently safer or better than prescribed treatment.

The goal is to help you understand how a remedy has historically been used, what contemporary research actually supports, where evidence is limited or preliminary, and when professional medical evaluation is the right call. Many of the topics here were inspired by reading Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones, which is used as a starting point for exploration — not as the authority for medical or safety claims.

A note on forms: food amounts, teas, supplements, tinctures, topical preparations, and essential oils are not interchangeable. Concentration, dosage, safety, and evidence vary significantly across forms. This distinction matters throughout every section below.

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Honey

Food, soothing agent, and wound-care subject

Honey has been used across cultures for thousands of years as a food, a soothing agent for sore throats and coughs, and a topical application for wounds and skin. Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones discusses honey in the context of its antimicrobial properties and wound-care applications.

Medical-grade honey — particularly Manuka honey processed and standardized for clinical use — has been studied and used in certain wound-care settings. This is distinct from ordinary food-grade honey purchased at a grocery store.

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Cabbage

Postpartum tradition and breastfeeding comfort

Chilled cabbage leaves applied to the breasts have a long tradition of use among breastfeeding and postpartum women for relief from engorgement and breast discomfort. This is one of the more widely recognized traditional uses of cabbage in women's health.

Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones also discusses cabbage in connection with morning sickness, breast tenderness, mastitis, fibrocystic breasts, and stomach ulcers, among other conditions. These are presented as traditional uses or claims discussed in the book; contemporary evidence for most of these applications is limited or absent.

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Calendula

Calendula officinalis — topical skin and wound tradition

Calendula (Calendula officinalis), also called pot marigold, has a long history of topical use for minor skin irritation, wounds, rashes, and inflammation. It has also been traditionally associated with menstrual support in herbal traditions.

Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones discusses calendula's anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal activity in laboratory settings and lists uses including menstrual pain, aphthous ulcers (canker sores), burns, wounds, dermatitis, bruising, acne, and ear infections. These are presented as traditional uses and laboratory or preliminary findings — not as established clinical treatments.

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Echinacea

Immune and upper-respiratory tradition

Echinacea is one of the most widely used herbal supplements in the United States and has a long history of use in traditional medicine for immune support and upper-respiratory illness. Several species are used, including Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida.

Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones discusses echinacea's immune-system activity and lists uses including influenza, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections, genital herpes, acne, psoriasis, candidiasis, and asthma. These are presented as traditional uses and claims discussed in the book. Contemporary evidence does not establish echinacea as a treatment for most of these conditions.

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Cinnamon

Culinary spice with studied biological activity

Cinnamon has been used as a culinary spice and in traditional medicine across many cultures for centuries. Traditional uses have included digestive support, blood glucose management, and antimicrobial applications. Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones discusses cinnamon's antimicrobial properties and traditional uses involving digestion and blood glucose.

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Clove

Eugenol-rich spice with recognized biological activity

Cloves have been used in traditional medicine and culinary traditions worldwide. Eugenol, the primary active compound in cloves, has been used in dentistry as a component of certain dental materials and temporary pain-relief preparations. Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones discusses eugenol, digestive uses, respiratory support, and tooth pain in connection with clove.

Sources & Transparency

This pillar was inspired in part by information discussed in Herbal Antibiotics by Mary Jones. That book is used as a starting point for exploring traditional remedies — not as the sole authority for establishing medical or safety claims. Where the book is cited as a source of a traditional use or claim, that is noted explicitly.

Medical and safety information has been independently evaluated against contemporary sources, prioritizing NIH/NCCIH, NIH LactMed, the FDA, CDC, ACOG, and peer-reviewed human research. Where evidence is limited, mixed, preliminary, or laboratory-based, that limitation is stated explicitly.

No citations, studies, statistics, or medical recommendations have been invented. No sentences or substantial wording have been copied from the source book.

🌿 A note before you go

Traditional remedies are not replacements for medical treatment. The information on this page is educational only. Talk with your healthcare provider before using herbal supplements or remedies medicinally, especially during TTC, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or while taking medications.

Normal culinary use of a food is not necessarily equivalent to using that food or plant as a concentrated supplement, extract, tincture, essential oil, or other medicinal preparation. Concentration, dosage, safety, and evidence vary significantly across forms.

Herbal Remedies and Women's Health | Best You Mom