Condition

Lactation (Breast Milk Production)

Lactation is the body's making of breast milk, driven by hormones like prolactin and oxytocin and by how often and how well milk is removed from the breast. Among supplements, fenugreek has the most support, and the evidence is moderate: two small trials found milk production went up in mothers using a fenugreek tea. Those studies were small and short, and shatavari and milk thistle showed no clear difference in milk production, so the evidence for most herbs is thin.

Sources: PMID 26430522; PMID 21261516

Updated 30 September 2026
How we grade
4 studies cited
Lactation (Breast Milk Production) protocol

Supplements studied: 9
Graded outcomes: 7
Trials: 17
People studied: 1,779

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

9 supplements

Fenugreek

Fenugreek: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Milk Production Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	2 studies	164 people
Studies that measured milk production The Effect of Herbal Tea Containing Fenugreek Seed on the Signs of Breast Milk Sufficiency in Iranian Girl InfantsIran Red Crescent Med J · PMID 26430522 The effect of galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk production and short-term catch-up of birth weight in the first week of lifeJ Altern Complement Med · PMID 21261516
	Prolactin	Improves (the measure goes up)			26 people

Torbangun

Torbangun: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Milk Production Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	1 study	67 people
Studies that measured milk production Lactagogue effects of Torbangun, a Bataknese traditional cuisineAsia Pac J Clin Nutr · PMID 16672214

Iodine

Serum T4: improves
Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone: improves

Iodine: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Serum T4 Small Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		109 people
	Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone	Improves (the measure goes up)		3 studies	109 people
Studies that measured thyroid-stimulating hormone Breast-milk iodine concentration declines over the first 6 mo postpartum in iodine-deficient womenAm J Clin Nutr · PMID 20702609 The effect of small increases in dietary iodine on thyroid function in euthyroid subjectsMetabolism · PMID 3340004 Iodine supply and thyroid function in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a cohort study.Endocr Connect · PMID 39212589

Cotton Seed

Milk Production: improves

Cotton Seed: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Milk Production Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect		45 people

Serrapeptase

Breast Tenderness: improves
Pain: improves

Serrapeptase: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Breast Tenderness Small Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		70 people
	Pain	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	70 people
Studies that measured pain The treatment of breast engorgement with Serrapeptase (Danzen): a randomised double-blind controlled trialSingapore Med J · PMID 2688125

Shatavari

Milk Production

Shatavari: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Milk Production No effect		NoneNo effect	2 studies	124 people
Studies that measured milk production A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial for Evaluation of Galactogogue Activity of Asparagus racemosus WilldIran J Pharm Res · PMID 24363697 Randomized controlled trial of Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) as a lactogogue in lactational inadequacyIndian Pediatr · PMID 8979551

Milk Thistle

Milk Production

Milk Thistle: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Milk Production No effect		NoneNo effect	2 studies	100 people
Studies that measured milk production Evaluation of the galactogogue effect of silymarin on mothers of preterm newborns (<32 weeks).Pediatr Med Chir · PMID 26714778 Clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of BIO-C (micronized Silymarin) as a galactagogueActa Biomed · PMID 19260380

Peppermint

Nipple Cracks: improves

Peppermint: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Nipple Cracks	Improves (the measure goes up)		2 studies	188 people
Studies that measured nipple cracks A randomized trial of peppermint gel, lanolin ointment, and placebo gel to prevent nipple crack in primiparous breastfeeding womenMed Sci Monit · PMID 17767120 Effect of peppermint water on prevention of nipple cracks in lactating primiparous women: a randomized controlled trialInt Breastfeed J · PMID 17442122

Moringa

Milk Production: improves

Moringa: outcomes studied for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Milk Production	Improves (the measure goes up)			68 people

Key findings

Milk ProductionFenugreekImproves (the measure goes up)
Serum T4IodineImproves (the measure goes down)
Breast TendernessSerrapeptaseImproves (the measure goes down)

The Lactation Support (Breast Milk Production) protocol

2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements

Fenugreek500–600 mg capsules 3× daily, or 1 teaspoon seeds as tea 3× daily
Moringa (Malunggay)250–500 mg extract or 2–3 g leaf powder twice daily

See the full protocol

Studies cited

4 studies from PubMed

Investigating the Effect of Reflexology on the Breast Milk Volume of Preterm Infants' MothersIran J Nurs Midwifery Res · PMID 30186342
Acupoint-tuina therapy promotes lactation in postpartum women with insufficient milk production who underwent caesarean sectionsMedicine · PMID 31464890
Effect of acupressure on milk volume of breastfeeding mothers referring to selected health care centers in TehranIran J Nurs Midwifery Res · PMID 25709684
The effects of music ıntervention on breast milk production in breastfeeding mothers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsJ Adv Nurs · PMID 33037832

Evidence by supplement

Key findings

The Lactation Support (Breast Milk Production) protocol

Studies cited

Related conditions

Supplement stack for Lactation (Breast Milk Production)