Before you become a mother you don’t need to worry about the herbs you take affecting anyone but yourself. As soon as you become pregnant then all of a sudden the herbs you take affect more than just you. An herb that for you alone my be good might be better avoided during pregnancy.
You might wonder why you’d want to avoid herbs with health benefits at the time you need all the help you can get.
Many herbs contain steroids that can affect the baby’s development during pregnancy and/or nursing. Others may be of a mildly toxic type and others may be strong uterine stimulants.
Please read this section carefully and take heed. If you notice an herb that you’re taking and you’re pregnant or nursing a baby, do more research to decide if you should stop taking it.
At least three types of herbs you want to stay away from are Emmenagogues, Oxytocic and Purgative or Laxative. These may present very real danger to your pregnancy and extreme caution is urged.
Herbs to avoid while pregnant
- Angelica – stimulates suppressed menstruation, oxytocic.
- Black Cohosh Root – uterine stimulant – mostly used during labor.
- Blue Cohosh Root – a stronger uterine stimulant.
- Borage oil – a uterine stimulant – use only during the last few days of pregnancy.
- Comfrey – can cause liver problems in mother and fetus – use only briefly, externally only, for treating sprains and strains.
- Dong Quai – may stimulate bleeding.
- Elderflower – do not use during pregnancy or lactation.
- Fenugreek – uterine relaxant, especially avoid fenugreek extract.
- Goldenseal – too powerful an antibiotic for the developing fetus, also should not be used if nursing.
- Henbane – highly toxic.
- Horsetail – too high in silica for the developing fetus.
- Licorice Root – can create water retention and/or elevated blood pressure and damage the fetus’ brain.
- Motherwort – stimulates suppressed menstruation.
- Mugwort – can be a uterine stimulant.
- Nutmeg – can cause miscarriage in large doses.
- Pennyroyal Leaf – stimulates uterine contractions (NOTE: Pennyroyal essential oil should not be used by pregnant women at any time!) – do not handle if pregnant or nursing.
- Rue – strong expellant.
- Saffron – can cause miscarriage and other problems.
- Shepherd’s Purse – used only for hemorrhaging during/after childbirth.
- Uva Ursi – removes too much blood sugar during pregnancy and nursing.
- Yarrow – uterine stimulant.
Please realize that this isn’t an exhaustive list of herbs you shouldn’t take while pregnant or lactating and should by no means be considered comprehensive. Additionally, if this is a topic of interest for you, do careful research also into which herbal essential oils you should avoid taking. Among these (more studies and clinical trials needed) are Savin, Tansy, Queen Anne’s Lace, Birthwort, Cotton Root Bark, Senna Leaf, Cascara Segrada, Papaya Seed and Feverfew.
I wish you or your loved one a happy, healthy pregnancy and remember even though we gave you these herbs to avoid, trust your body and if you have doubt just take the safe choice.
As always, consult with your licensed and qualified health professional closely before embarking on alternative health remedies or herbal supplements and essential oils for potential risks, side effects and contraindications. This is especially true for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding a baby.
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Please elaborate on the contraindication of motherwort. Thanks.
Cherie
Motherwort is also a “woman’s herb”, and included in many “women’s formulas”, but it may be contraindicated in women with hypothyroid conditions..
Motherwort is sometimes called common hedgenet.
>Curious about how & whether other people use Wood Betony (stachys betonica). It’s probably my most reliable herb I use as a “base” when formulating blends for headaches, migraines, concussions, & >other tension related afflictions of the head & neck.
My first exposure to Wood Betony herb was with a healer that used it as part of treatment for long term recovery of a spinal cord injury, in combination with St. Johnswort and oatstraw. If swelling/inflammation is present, boneset was added.
I have since used this Wood Betony combination with stroke victems during rehab to help re-establish neural pathways (in combination with physical therapy of course). And in the long term care of a young man who has had suffered brain damage from a high fever.
It is hard to say how much helps it gives. As with any nervous system repair, improvement is slow. However, in the half a dozen clients I have worked with, improvement was seen and in each instance exceeded physician expectations for recovery.
Do you think wood betony (motherwort) would be a good herb to use for the CNS damage from
Lyme Disease? This case is just coming off six weeks of antibiotics that
weren’t started until 2 months after the tick bite. The nervous system
symptoms have been quite strong. I’m planning to follow up with teasel,
astragalus and a nervous system tonic. I was thinking of Avena sativa, but
have never used wood betony and am wondering if anyone thinks it might be
specific to this type of damage.
Pamela
The contraindications for Motherwort are pretty much theoretically based;
its used to help relax an overactive thyroid, and so may furthur depress a
sluggish thyroid. I’ve not heard or read anyone state that it is
specifically contraindicated in such situations, and it may very well be one
of those herbs that seems to adjust amphoterically to relax or stimulate
activity as needed, but I’d rather not just presume it does so and
potentially complicated an already complicated imbalance like
hypothyroidism. Easier to just leave Motherwort out of the picture and
avoid any potential dilemmas.
Well, and rosemary and flavonoids, also. I have only read one article
on this and would like to get some more references. Since I have a low
thyroid, I have started taking Vit. C/biof in the evening (thyroid in
the morning) and have eliminated melissa and rosemary from my herb diet.
I was not aware of the leonurus problem before.
Anybody seen more info on this? Thanks.
Cherie (a new member, thanks, Henriette)
Melissa falls in this category as well. Shame, really-it’s easy to avoid
motherwort, nasty tasting stuff that it is (wonderful
cardio/emmenagogue,
though), but the lovely, multitalented and yummy Melissa…..
Julie James
I have graves disease, a form of hyPERthyroidism, and from what I have read,
motherwort is good for OVERactive thyroid, esp, with cardiac affectations.
Also recommended for hyper are bugleweed, and lemon balm tea. So these herbs
may be CONTRA-indicated for UNDER-active thyroid, as they would have the
opposite effect you need.
Penny Royal essential oil
If using eight drops of the essential oil pennyroyal in 32 ounces of a blend of rosewater and other herbs, is the amount of Pennyroyal in that batch still a concern.
Should pennyroyal be avoided at all because of its liver toxic activity?
Thank you Marguerite