The Medicinal Uses of Breastmilk

List compiled by Celin Childs
Read more from Childs at Yahoo Network
Photos © 2009 DrMomma.org

Expressed human milk

Breastmilk is not only the best way to feed your newborn or infant, this nourishing substance has the ability to heal and protect the body as well. I am not just talking about your infant's body; I am talking about yours, as well as your older children. In this article I am going to discuss some of the basic ways you can use breastmilk to cure common ailments.

Human milk contains a balance of nutrients that perfectly matches infant requirements for brain development, growth and a healthy immune system. Human milk also contains immunologic agents and other compounds that act against viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

Since an infant's immune system is not fully developed until age 2, human milk provides a distinct advantage over formula. Children who are breastfed enjoy lower rates of several chronic childhood diseases, including respiratory infections and ear infections as well as diarrhea.

Breastfed infants develop body compositions that are quite different from formula-fed infants, resulting in fewer overweight and obese children.

Breastfeeding releases a hormone in a woman's body that causes her uterus to return to its normal size and shape more quickly and reduces blood loss after delivery. In addition, breastfeeding for longer periods of time reduces the risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Pink Eye:
Breastmilk has the ability to treat and cure eye infections such as Pink Eye. All you need to do is to squirt the milk into the infected eyes. You should do this frequently as possible until the eye is completely healed. If you were treating your infant's eyes for Pink Eye, the best result would be to wait until the baby is asleep. Some babies can be treated while awake, however, it may be difficult. You should squirt the milk around the crease of the closed eye and then gently lift the eyelids and allow all of the breastmilk to seep into the closed eye.

Sore Cracked Nipples:
Many new mommies experience the pain and discomfort of sore cracked nipples from breastfeeding their newborn. Creams and oils can work wonders, however, the best medicine lies right inside of the breast. Breastmilk can be rubbed around the sore areas of the nipples after feeding and then left out to briefly air dry.

Mosquito and Ant Bites:
Breastmilk is a sterile disinfecting concoction; so placing the substance on insect bites can actually work wonders. You should squirt a little milk on the bites and rub in thoroughly. This will help to stop the itching that may be caused by the insect bite.

Facial Cleanser:
Breastmilk holds the ability to clean the skin very well. You should apply the breastmilk on the face and wipe it clean. Believe it or not, breastmilk can remove eye makeup.

Sore Throat and Mouth Sores:
You should breastfeed your baby if their throat becomes sore. If you get a canker sore you can swish a little breastmilk around in your mouth for several seconds. This will help to heal the infection.

Stuffy Nose:
If your infant has a stuffy nose, all you have to do is squirt a few droplets of milk into the nose and then suction or squeeze out; follow the same procedures as you would for saline.

Immunity Boost:
If your older children are getting sick or they just need a little pick me up, you can give them breastmilk in order to boost their immune system.

Plugged Eye Ducts:
If your infant's eyes are plugged you can squirt breastmilk into the eye crease at the nose. You should do this four times the first day and only two the day after.

Scratches, Burns, Gouges, and Scrapes: These can all be treated with breastmilk. You just have to squirt and rub breastmilk on the infected area. Then you let the area air-dry and then bandage as normal.

Contact Lenses:
For people who wear contacts, running out of solution during dyer moments can be one of the most frustrating and eye painful situations. Breastmilk is a sterile substance, so you can use the milk the same as you would solution for your dry contacts or to clean them. Contact lenses must always be in a form of sterile liquid as they can easily dry out otherwise. Once contacts are dried, they become stiff and can no longer be used.

Eye Puffiness and Redness:
You can squirt breastmilk into the eye to cure puffiness and redness.

Breast Cancer:
Breastfeeding your infant is one of the best ways to prevent breast cancer from developing in you. Breastfeeding provides a means of protection for you from getting the disease.

Chicken Pox:
You can use breastmilk to help ease the pain of itching by using the same as you would Calamine Lotion or any other ointment.

Leg Ulcers:
You can squirt breastmilk on leg ulcers in order to clear them up.

Chapped lips/skin:
All you have to do is express a small amount of breastmilk onto the fingers and wipe over the lips/skin. Do not rub the milk in; you should leave the area a little wet.


Donating breastmilk can be a wonderful charitable deed. Here is a list of clinical, medicinal, therapeutic, post surgical uses for donor breast milk.

Clinical Uses of Donor Breast Milk:
· Prematurely· Malabsorbtion syndromes· Renal failure· Inborn errors of metabolism· Cardiac problems· Pediatric burn cases· Failure to thrive· Short-gut syndrome· Feeding intolerance· Post Surgical· Bronchi pulmonary dysplasia

Medicinal/Therapeutic uses of Donor Breast Milk:
· Treatment for infectious diseases· Intractable diarrhea· Gastrontentis· Infantile botulism· Sepsis· Pneumonia· Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis

Post Surgical Healing:· Omphaloele· Gastroschisis· Intestinal Obstruction/bowel fistula· Colostomy ReparDonor Breast milk can also help with immunodeficiency diseases, severe allergies, IGA deficiencies, and solid organ transplant.

Gift of Gold: Donated Human Milk
If you are in need of milk for your baby, find your state chapter of the Human Milk 4 Human Babies network, or Eats on Feets


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31 comments:

  1. You missed, ear infections! It worked for my daughter last year after giving birth to my son, I squirted some BM into my 6 year old daughter and go figure! No more ear infections since then! :-) *knocked on wood*

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  2. This is amazing!!! I was a breastmilk advocate when I had my son ten years ago. Now I'm pregnant again and I'm SO happy to find so many functional uses for breastmilk. Thank you so much for posting this!

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  3. Thank you so much for this article!! I had severe eczema for about 8 years. If I didn't use steroid creme, my hands would crack and bleed. After reading this article, I started putting breastmilk on my hands several times a day. IT WORKS!!!! IT REALLY WORKS!!!! I was absolutely astounded. I have been breastfeeding my four children over the past 7 years straight and I never knew that a secret to healing my eczema was inside my body. I have been steroid free for 9 months. It's really a miracle.

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  4. Danielle NethertonSeptember 21, 2011 11:02 PM

    I thought an immune system wasn't fully developed until after the last molars come through? around age 7?

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  5. I'm thinking of using my breastmilk to try to heal my dog's skin issues. Anyone heard of using human milk on animals?

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    1. It's been a long time since you posted, but I have used breastmilk on my cat's goopy infected eye, and on my other cat's infected nose. The eye was clear the next day. Continued daily use on the nose keeps it looking a lot better than normal as long as I keep using it,unfortunately he doesn't like to come inside every day. The only other treatment is steroids weekly.

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  6. Brilliant article. If only this information was common knowledge! Zion
    www.mammasforvictory.blogspot.com

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  7. I am useing brestmilk for my cancer.

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    Replies
    1. Human milk kills all types of cancer cells. This is the HAMLET substance that is found in live human milk: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/04/hamlet-substance-in-breastmilk-kills.html

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  8. Kristen, yes, I used breastmilk when my dog got a big gash in her arm. Healed in one week!

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  9. A few drops a day in my daughter's eye cleared up her clogged eye duct in a couple weeks when we had been following the drs reccomendation of just using warm water on a rag and rubbing the corner of her eye for awhile with no improvement.

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  10. My instincts are telling me to apply breast milk to my c section cut. This article has peaked my curiosity. The cut feels dry and itchy and sore much like my nipples felt during first week of breasfeeding. I used it to heal nipples and it worked great. Has anyone heard of using it at c section site to aid healing of external scar

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    1. I'm sure your c-section scar has long-healed by now, but in case anyone else is wondering, absolutely, you can use your milk to heal your own incision site. Breastmilk also helps sunburns heal faster. Pretty much, it will improve any skin irritation. Just make sure to use freshly expressed or properly stored milk.

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  11. Love this. HOWEVER, the human child's immune system is not fully developed until the age of about SIX(6) when the first adult molars come in, which is why 'extended' nursing BEYOND age 2 is recommended by WHO, and age 2 is listed as a minimum age.

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  12. Thank God for Holy breastmilk:)

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  13. I'd love to see this article revised to say child and not just newborn or infant when referring to the age of the breastfed child. Saying infant all the time makes it sound like you shouldn't extend breastfeeding till at least two years and beyond. Society needs to see that breastfeeding till at least two years should be the norm not seen as "extended".

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    Replies
    1. I breastfed my 4 yr old til 2 1/2 ... he stopped on his own ... my 6 month old will have the same choice :)

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  14. Does anyone know if it is safe to use bm in a childs ear (to help with ear infection) if there are tubes in the ear? I would feel fine doing it without the tubes but with them im not sure of its safe to let the milk get that far into the ear?

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  15. After 2 tubes of erythomycin ointment in my son's eyes for 2 months, I stumbled across another article that said something about BM for conjunctivitis. I tried it for about 2 days and this 2 month long infection was gone!!!!!

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  16. SO WHY DONT WE USE IT FOR THESE AILMENTS, ADULTS,BABIES, OLD FOLKS, NO!!! WE LIVE IN THE MEDICAL DARK AGES.. medical NEEDS TOMAKE MONEY NOT MAKE PEOPLE HEALTHY, ADULTS CONSUMING BREASTMILK WILL DETER MOST DISEASES, THEY USE WET NURSES IN CALIFORNIA NURSING HOME FOR PEOPLE WHO CANT EAT...THEY USE IT IN THE MOST POSH RESTAURANTS IN nEW yORK TO MAKE CHEESECAKE...ITS EVEN ON THE MENU..!!!WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO SELL THEIR BREASTMILK FOR OTHERS TO CONSUME. (@)(@)

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  17. I weened my first born when he was 7 months so I can go to college. He is 3 years old now. I am pregnant again and I was wondering if it is too late to give my first born breast milk again. I really wish I hadn't stopped but is it possible to give a toddler breast milk who has not had it in a long time?

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    1. At 3 it's certainly not too late to give him human milk - and he will still benefit greatly from the immune properties included. He may not ever know how to nurse again -- usually babies who wean very early don't retain that suckling skill. But you could still give him pumped milk here and there - on his cereal, mixed in his cup with other things, etc. It can be very helpful especially during the cold/flu season. :)

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    2. Also -- if he shows an interest in nursing - let him try. :) There's no harm in this. But most toddlers won't recall how to effectively nurse if they haven't done so for a long time. If he does - great! It will help relieve some of the early pressure when milk supply is being regulated.

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  18. I absolutely love this information. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  19. In the list for clinical uses for donor milk it mentions cardiac problems. Im curious what kind of cardiac problems and how it helps?

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  20. Awesome im ging to try bm on my dry lips! Also my 19 month old loves Frozen BM Popsicles. I tried one myself and they are pretty sweet and tasty. Now if I could just get hubby to try one, a little trickery wouldn't hurt.

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  21. Probiotics and yogurt do help with keeping canker sores at bay

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  22. Does anyone know how much would need to be consumed by a child who is 9 yes old 50 lbs. I am trying as nutritional supplement as well as to help alleviate her symptoms of Crohns Disease, but I am not sure how much would need to be consumed to be beneficial.

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    1. Anon - your question has been shared here so you can hear from others: https://www.facebook.com/peacefulparenting/posts/10152806331562671 Also, you are welcome to join any of the PP groups: http://www.drmomma.org/2007/12/discussion-groups.html

      We would presume that ANY amount would be beneficial from a healing perspective.

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