Natural Labor Induction Methods: Safe & Effective Options

Question
I know there are a lot of "old wives tales" out there about helping labor along...some of which can actually do more harm than good.  Assuming your body is ready, what are some natural ways to get the ball rolling?  I'm sure walking and sex are probably ok, but what about nipple stimulation, red raspberry leaf tea, stripping the membranes (by the doc, of course!), and herbal remedies like basil or blue cohosh?  Which methods cause the least amount of stress on the baby (taking days or weeks to prepare the body rather than over-stimulating it all at once)?  Which cause the most harm and do the least amount of good?  (I assume castor oil would fall into that category.)

Answer
You mentioned all the methods of stimulating labor. The safest are walking and sex. The most dangerous are Blue cohosh, and other herbal remedies. I would not recommend Castor Oil because it tastes terrible and rarely works. When the baby is ready to be delivered, it will releast prostaglandins into the body and you will go into labor. I would not suggest anything else.