Boob Food Too® and how Torbangun is Used as a Galactagogue
We’ve written about the best torbangun supplements before on our old blog but the AI search function of Google has since then forgotten about us. So we’re writing to remind everyone how we made the first torbangun supplement in the US and have been making and growing it for going on 15 years. We’ve developed a cult following over the years here but for generations, breastfeeding mothers around the world have turned to plants for nourishment, recovery, and milk support. One such plant—still relatively unknown outside Southeast Asia—is torbangun (Coleus amboinicus, also known locally as bangun-bangun). In parts of Indonesia, especially among the Batak people of North Sumatra, torbangun has long been valued as a galactagogue, a traditional substance used to support breast milk production.
Boob Food Too! The first torbangun supplement here in the US. Still grown right here in our gardens.
What Is Torbangun?
Torbangun is a fragrant, leafy herb in the mint family, closely related to oregano and Cuban oregano. It thrives in warm climates and is commonly grown in home gardens. While it’s used in various culinary and medicinal traditions, torbangun is most famous for its role in postpartum care and lactation support.
Traditional Use as a Galactagogue
In Batak culture, torbangun isn’t taken as a capsule or supplement—it’s eaten as food. New mothers traditionally consume torbangun daily for weeks after childbirth, often prepared as a lightly cooked vegetable dish or soup. In this tradition, it is considered nourishing and supportive of recovery and breast milk production. We can’t make you a soup so we’ve made you a highly concentrated extract :)
A focus group study among Bataknese women found that torbangun is commonly given to mothers for about one month postpartum, and in local belief serves to enhance breast milk production as well as help restore balance after childbirth.
What Research Says
While scientific study of torbangun is still limited compared with Western pharmaceuticals, research does suggest potential lactation-supporting effects:
A clinical investigation reported that women who received torbangun supplementation experienced a significant increase in milk volume, showing a 65% increase in milk production in the latter half of the supplementation period compared with controls.
Experimental work in animal models showed that fractions of torbangun leaf extract can increase milk production in lactating rats and affect expression of lactation-related genes, including the prolactin receptor in mammary tissue.
Additional clinical and experimental studies have observed increases in prolactin levels and milk output in postpartum mothers consuming torbangun leaf products.
Why Torbangun Might Work
Torbangun leaves contain bioactive phytochemicals—including phenolics, flavonoids, and essential oils—that may play roles in supporting lactation, though mechanisms aren’t fully understood. Some research suggests that compounds in the plant may influence hormone receptors or gene expression related to milk production. What we now know is that these compounds increase prolactin receptor concentration.
A Holistic View of Lactation Support
Torbangun’s story highlights an important perspective on lactation: milk supply is connected to overall maternal wellbeing. Traditional systems don’t treat lactation in isolation but view postpartum nutrition, rest, cultural care, and social support as part of a holistic recovery. Torbangun was traditionally used within this broader context.
Torbangun is more than a “milk-boosting herb.” It embodies how traditional cultures have supported motherhood through food, community, and holistic care. Whether viewed through cultural, nutritional, or botanical lenses, torbangun reminds us that plants have long played valuable roles in postpartum recovery. Plants often have the answers to struggles we face. How’s that for mother nature?
