As a herbalist, I am astounded at how useful some plants are for humans. And as a midwife, raspberry leaf is definitely one of the top ones for pregnancy, postpartum and all uterine health – from menarche to menopause.

For centuries, indigenous people of North America used raspberry leaf as an extremely effective uterine tonic, but it wasn’t until the 1940s that the Western world began to use it after several reports in medical journals extolled its effects on the uterus and pelvic region.

But there seems to be a persistent untruth about raspberry leaf in current times that just hangs on and on.

Not the sexiest of topics, but a real issue for many women in pregnancy and in the weeks following birth. Constipation can make you feel sick, tired and bloated. But why is it an issue around birth?

Hormones, mostly.

While I was working as a community midwife in Scotland I was often amazed at how many of my clients had no idea of where to look for help for any health complaints outside of their GP. It was like they were at the mercy of whatever services happen to be covered by the NHS.

At some point the vibration in my chest from my voice began to soothe the pain nested there. In yoga class we say "vibrate the sound" when we chant, and I was vibrating the sound right into the sore bit and it felt so good. By the time I got home the pain was much lessened. It had been moved, shifted. Healed.

In recent decades, clary sage has become known for bringing on contractions in a pregnant woman. Birthing units around the country now keep countless bottles of clary sage essential oil to use in labour rooms. Clary sage oil features in every labour kit. Some women swear it helped their labour to start. But what is missing?