A comparison of chilled and room temperature cabbage leaves in treating breast engorgement.

This study compared the effectiveness of chilled and room temperature green cabbage leaves in reducing the discomfort of breast engorgement in postpartum mothers. Twenty-eight lactating women with breast engorgement used chilled cabbage leaves on one breast and room-temperature cabbage leaves on the other for a two-hour period. Pre-treatment pain levels were compared with post-treatment levels for both conditions. There was no difference in the post-treatment ratings for the two treatments; mothers reported significantly less pain with both treatments. We concluded that it is not necessary to chill cabbage leaves before use.