The main purpose of this article is to describe traditional breastfeeding practices among the pastoral tribes in the Middle East. It also examines beliefs and attitudes towards breastfeeding and related issues, including pregnancy, infec- tions of the breast nipple, sources of milk, ‘bad milk’ syndrome and breastfeeding as a contraceptive method. The most significant findings are that mothers relate breastfeeding to their physical and psychological state. There are also symbolic and emotional relationships between human babies and the colostrum of animals. A survey of medicinal cures for problems related to breastfeeding reveals that these cures are based on substances found in the desert pastoral environment. The rich variety of methods employed by pastoral nomadic healers to treat breast and nipple infections is indicative of the depth and breadth of indig- enous medicine practised among pastoral nomads. Analysis of the findings shows that the three deserts where the research was conducted (the Negev, Sinai and southern Jordan) serve as the geographic origins for all medicinal substances employed in breastfeeding. These plants are available because they grow in the wild and are cultivated; in both cases, they are part of the natural flora of these deserts. The information on medicinal treatments gathered in the course of this research both documents and enriches current knowledge regarding indigenous ethno-botanic and traditional medicine typical of pasto- ral tribes in the Middle East.