The flower that opens in the birth room

In Anatolia, a bowl of water in the birth room with a dry plant in it: Fatma Ana Eli (“Mother Fatma’s Hand”, rose of Jericho, Anastatica hierochuntica). As the plant opens in the water, the birth is believed to become easy, like water. In some regions the midwife rubs the woman’s back and says: “This hand is not my hand, it is the hand of our Mother Fatma.” Note: drinking this plant’s water in pregnancy has not been proven safe.

Source: Ebru Şen, Hüsniye Dinç, “Doğumda Geleneksel Uygulamalar: Fatma Ana Eli Bitkisi (Anastatica hierochuntica L.)”, Lokman Hekim Dergisi 11(2), 2021 (Şen and Dinç, Lokman Hekim Dergisi, 2021). This is a folk record, not a treatment recommendation.