Adriel, myself, and the Clary Team strive to provide our Clary customers with the safest, multipurpose organic products in the natural skincare realm.

 

We also acknowledge that sometimes we don’t always have the answers, and so we consult with others who do.

 

Dr. Marlene Ehrler, founder of Motherhood Medicine, is a licensed naturopathic doctor specializing in treating + healing women and mothers. We’ve worked with Dr. Ehrler in the past on Clary questions, and she was the perfect person to present the question of plantain safety for babies.

Through research + experience, Dr. Ehrler found that our Olive Balm is indeed safe for nursing, plantain included. “The major constituents are mucilage, iridoid glycosides (particularly aucubin, which are essentially defensive mechanisms and actually well studied to be protective for the liver), tannins, and an abundance of minerals. Plantain's actions internally are equally impressive, especially for kiddos. Plantain used to be used (and still is by folk herbalists) for teething/sore gums, toothaches, thrush, ear infections, and more--all issues that kiddos struggle with.”

She says “As a mother and doctor I already DO recommend using Clary Olive Balm as an all-purpose salve (including cracked nipples), plantain included. Even if a mama gooped it on her nipples and didn't wipe it off before baby latched the amount of Plantain, and all of the other botanicals for that matter, would be safe and somewhat negligible when ingested internally by a newborn. I would suggest that Mama's apply a small amount and rub it in well before baby latches, or just use it between nursing sessions, and watch their babies digestion to make sure they are responding well (although Plantain is excellent for colicky pains and diarrhea!).”

Through this research and because of our commitment to you to provide safe, natural Clary products that mesh seamlessly into your busy lives, we will no longer be making Nursing Balm, as our Olive Balm already takes care of it's uses.

 

If you have any questions about plantain or our other ingredients, please don’t hesitate to send us a note!