Many modern midwives, including the renowned American nurse-midwife Ann Frye, author of Holistic Midwifery, have used cramp bark with great success to prevent, slow, or stop labor that begins too soon in a pregnancy. To date, there have been no reports of negative effects on either a mother or a fetus when cramp bark is used to prevent premature births. While no herb should be relied on exclusively to protect a high-risk pregnancy, cramp bark can work as a complement to the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor or midwife.
Cramp bark gets its name from its well-documented ability to alleviate menstrual cramps. Many women who suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids, and endometriosis have found that they can naturally control their severe cramps by taking this helpful herb. However, cramp bark's much more critical, life-saving role in preventing preterm labor remains little-known, except in a few midwifery circles.
Cramp bark works to slow labor because it contains two strong, natural antispasmodic chemicals, called scopoletin and viopudial. These two non-toxic constituents are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and act directly to ease contractions in the uterus. This often causes the squeezing actions of the womb to either slow or stop, preventing the dilation of the cervix.
Because it acts so directly to ease all types of spasms in the uterus, cramp bark may also alleviate the discomforts associated with harmless practice contractions, also called Braxton-Hicks contractions. These practice contractions do not indicate the beginnings of pre-term labor or miscarriage, but they may be alarming to women who are at a high risk of these complications. For this reason, some expectant mothers choose to take cramp bark throughout pregnancy, to keep their uteruses calm.
Women who are at high risk of miscarriage or pre-term labor may find that, in addition to other treatments prescribed by their doctor or midwife, cramp bark may help to prevent or treat these complications. Although cramp bark is generally considered safe, do not take any herb without first discussing it with your health care provider.