Midwives brew is a homemade drink used to try to kick-start labor, built around four core ingredients: castor oil, almond butter, apricot juice, and lemon verbena oil. The castor oil is the active ingredient, while the other components help mask its taste and texture. Recipes vary slightly, but the standard version calls for about 2 tablespoons of castor oil, 2 tablespoons of almond butter, 10 ounces of apricot juice, and a few drops of lemon verbena oil, all blended together until smooth.
The Standard Recipe
The most commonly cited version of midwives brew uses these proportions:
- Castor oil: 2 tablespoons (about 30 mL)
- Almond butter: 2 tablespoons
- Apricot juice: 10 ounces (about 300 mL)
- Lemon verbena oil: a few drops (typically 3 to 5)
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds. The goal is to fully emulsify the castor oil into the juice so there are no oily clumps floating on top. The almond butter helps with this by binding the fat from the castor oil into the liquid, creating a smoother, more drinkable consistency. Without it, castor oil tends to separate and sit on the surface, making the drink much harder to get down.
Most people drink the entire batch in one sitting, though some split it into two portions taken 15 to 30 minutes apart. The taste is not pleasant regardless of preparation. Using cold apricot juice and drinking through a straw can help.
What Each Ingredient Does
Castor oil is the only ingredient with a documented biological mechanism for triggering labor. When you swallow it, enzymes in your intestines break it down into a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This compound activates specific receptors (called EP3 receptors) on smooth muscle cells in both the intestines and the uterus. That activation is what causes intestinal cramping and, potentially, uterine contractions. In animal studies where those receptors were removed, castor oil produced neither a laxative effect nor uterine contractions, confirming this is the specific pathway.
The other three ingredients serve practical purposes. Almond butter acts as an emulsifier, keeping the castor oil blended into the liquid rather than separating out. Apricot juice provides enough volume and sweetness to dilute the castor oil’s strong flavor. Lemon verbena oil adds a citrus note that further covers the taste. None of these additional ingredients have any labor-inducing properties on their own.
Does It Actually Work?
The evidence on castor oil for labor induction is more robust than you might expect for a folk remedy. A meta-analysis looking across multiple clinical studies found that 57% of women who took castor oil went into labor within 24 hours, compared to just 4% of those who didn’t. Regular uterine contractions started in 70% of the castor oil group within that same window, versus 12% in the control group.
Those numbers are promising, but context matters. Most of the women in these studies were already at or past their due dates, and many were showing early signs that their bodies were getting ready for labor. Castor oil appears to work best when your body is already on the verge of labor and just needs a push. If your cervix hasn’t started to soften or dilate at all, the brew is far less likely to produce results.
When It’s Considered Appropriate
Midwives brew is only used at full term, meaning 37 weeks of pregnancy or later. In clinical settings that have studied castor oil cocktails, the drink is typically reserved for women who have given birth vaginally before. One large hospital-based study spanning seven years excluded first-time mothers and anyone with a previous cesarean section, offering the castor oil cocktail exclusively to multiparous women (those who had delivered at least once before).
The reasoning is straightforward. Women who have had a vaginal delivery before generally have a cervix that responds more readily to labor signals, and the risks of a prolonged or complicated labor are lower. If this is your first pregnancy, or if you have a history of cesarean delivery, the brew carries additional uncertainty that makes it a poor fit for unsupervised use.
Side Effects to Expect
The most predictable side effect is diarrhea. Because ricinoleic acid activates the same receptors in your intestines as in your uterus, cramping and loose stools typically start within one to three hours of drinking the brew. For some women, this is mild. For others, it’s intense enough to cause significant discomfort, nausea, and fatigue before labor even begins.
Dehydration is the main practical concern. Hours of diarrhea right before labor is not ideal, since labor itself is physically demanding and requires stamina. If you do try midwives brew, drinking extra water and electrolyte fluids before and after is important. Maternal exhaustion and prolonged labor were noted as complications in at least one clinical study, and starting labor already depleted from GI distress can contribute to that.
One study reported nausea in 48% of women who took castor oil, compared to none in the control group. That nausea typically hits alongside the intestinal cramping and can make it difficult to stay hydrated.
Risk to the Baby
The most common worry is meconium-stained amniotic fluid, where the baby passes its first stool before delivery. This can sometimes lead to breathing complications if inhaled during birth. Multiple clinical studies have specifically tracked this outcome, and the findings are reassuring: rates of meconium staining were not significantly different between castor oil groups and control groups across at least six separate studies. Apgar scores (a quick health assessment done right after birth) and birth weights were also comparable.
One study actually found meconium staining was three times higher in the control group than in the castor oil group, though that’s likely a statistical quirk rather than a protective effect. The overall takeaway from the research is that castor oil at term does not appear to increase the risk of meconium-related complications.
Practical Tips for Preparation
If you’ve decided to try midwives brew, a few preparation details can make the experience less miserable. Use a high-speed blender rather than stirring by hand. Castor oil is thick and viscous, and without thorough blending it coats your mouth in a way that triggers gagging. Chilling the apricot juice beforehand helps, since cold liquids are easier to drink quickly.
Drink the brew on a mostly empty stomach. Having a full meal beforehand can intensify nausea once the castor oil starts working. A light snack an hour or two before is fine. Have water, electrolyte drinks, and easy-to-digest foods ready for the hours that follow. Stay close to a bathroom for at least the first two to three hours.
Timing matters too. Many women choose to drink the brew in the morning so that if labor begins, it progresses during daytime hours when they have more energy and support available. Drinking it late at night means potentially dealing with diarrhea and early contractions while already tired.