Why does cabbage cure mastitis

Hands down, one of the most painful breastfeeding complications is mastitis, inflammation and infection of the breast tissue.

Mastitis is often caused by bacteria entering through cracked nipples, but may also be caused by going too long between feedings or not emptying your breasts completely at feedings.

Mastitis causes a bunch of unpleasant flu-like symptoms as well as redness and painful swelling of the breast. Because mastitis is a bacterial infection, it usually requires antibiotic treatment — but cabbage leaves can be used to ease some of the pain and swelling at home, either while you wait to see your doctor or while you wait for the antibiotics to kick in. A study suggests that applying chilled cabbage leaves to swollen breasts provides a similar amount of pain relief as a hot compress.

If you think you have mastitis and are experiencing fever, chills, or body aches, call your doctor ASAP. Breast engorgement is so uncomfortable that it can be difficult to even think straight. While engorgement usually goes away on its own after a day or two, no one would blame you for needing some relief in the meantime. A review of studies supports the idea that cabbage leaves are a reliable way to find the relief you need. The review found that using cabbage leaves reduced the pain and hardness of engorged breasts and made it easier for people to continue breastfeeding for longer.

When using cabbage leaves to soothe the swelling and discomfort of engorgement, you want to keep one important thing in mind: As soon as you begin to feel relief, you should stop applying cabbage leaves. To use cabbage leaves for engorgement, follow the same steps provided above for treatment of mastitis.

Has the swelling or pain reduced at all? Obviously this treatment may or may not work for you; everyone is different. Many people notice improvement of engorgement within a few hours after starting to use cabbage leaves.

While it's not a cure-all, many moms find soothing relief from common breastfeeding issues such as engorgement by applying cabbage leaves to their breasts, and this home remedy is affordable and easy to try.

What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Cabbage Leaves While Breastfeeding. Medically Reviewed by Jennifer Wu, M. Medical Review Policy All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. You may have heard that green cabbage leaves can provide soothing relief for breastfeeding issues such as engorgement and mastitis pain.

Learn more about the effectiveness of this home remedy. Back to Top. In This Article. Continue Reading Below. Read This Next. How to Stop Pumping. View Sources. American Academy of Pediatrics, Engorgement , August Ever heard of using cabbage leaves for mastitis , mama? It might sound odd, but its one of the most popular at-home treatments for this common breastfeeding trouble and midwives have been recommending it for decades… Keep scrolling to discover more about using cabbage leaves for mastitis, the symptoms to lookout for and why we use it as a key ingredient in our Pregnancy Boob Tube to help soothe sore boobs and nipples… What Is Mastitis In Pregnancy?

Mastitis In Pregnancy Symptoms Mastitis typically only affects one breast and symptoms often develop quickly once the infection has occurred. If you have Mastitis , you may experience the following: A fever along with other flu-like symptoms including body aches, fatigue, chills and a high temperature.

A swollen, painful and red area of your breast that may feel hot to touch. A hard area of your breast or a lump that is shaped like a wedge. Nipple discharge that may be white and contain blood. A burning pain in your breast that can be constant or only happen when you breastfeed. You can follow these expert tips on how to help reduce your chances of developing Mastitis: When breastfeeding, ensure that your baby completely empties one breast before moving to the other.

Switch your breastfeeding position each time you feed. Ensure that all of your milk is completely drained while breastfeeding. Make sure that your baby latches on properly. Buy Now.