Stay Away from These Herbs during Pregnancy

Posted on Jul 12, 2012 | Blog Posts, Morning Sickness Remedies Category | | Print This Article

While we usually think about the beneficial properties of herbs and herbal remedies, the fact of the matter is that not all herbs are considered to be safe to be used by every individual at all times. While herbs have helped pregnant women with everything from morning sickness to helping with pain relief during labor, it is important to identify and avoid certain herbs during pregnancy.

There are some herbs, for example, that should be avoided during pregnancy because they are very strong, or because they are irritating. These herbs may include things like Arnica, Bee Balm, Barberry, Black Walnut, Blessed Thistle, Chapparal, Catnip, Chickory, Comfrey, Colsfoot, Ephedra, Fenugreek, Gentian Horsehound, Horsetail, Ipecac, Juniper berries, Lobelia, Oregon grape root, Poke root, Rosemary, Rhubarb root, Uva ursi, Yarrow. While some of these herbs may be used, and even beneficial after pregnancy while breastfeeding, they should still be avoided during pregnancy.

There are other herbs that should be avoided during pregnancy due to their laxative properties. These herbs include Cascara sagrada, Buckthorn, Butternut, and Aloe Vera.

Some herbs should be avoided during pregnancy because of the way that they affect hormones. These herbs include Borage, Damiana, Dong quai, Licorice, Sarsparilla, Siberian ginseng, and Vitex.

The final category of herbs to avoid during pregnancy includes those herbs that are knwon to affect the uterus, or that are known to help bring about contractions or cause uterine bleeding. These sorts of herbs can include Angelica, Birthwort, Black cohosh, Blue cohosh, Cotton root, Elecampane, Fenugreek, Feverfew, Goldenseal, Horehound, Lovage, Mistletoe, Motherwort, Mugworts, Myrrh, Osha, Parsley, Pennyroyal, Rue, Sage, Tansy, Thuja, Thyme, Turmeric, and Wormwood.

Many other herbs have been demonstrated to have beneficial properties during pregnancy. For example, ginger has long been used to help women with morning sickness. Chamomile has been used by pregnant women for its soothing properties. Other herbs, such as rosehips, alfalfa, fennel seed, nettle leaf, strawberry leaf, lemon verbena, and lemon grass leaf, have been used in products for pregnant women, and all of these herbs should be considered safe in terms of pregnancy.

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