Pregnancy Supplements To Avoid For A Healthy Birth

Prenatal vitamins are an important source of folatemedicine is that the whole herbal extract may have a
and other vital nutrients during pregnancy. And manyvery different overall effect than a single constituent.
women, with the popularity of herbal medicine, takeThis is because of the way active principles both work
other herbs during pregnancy. Some of these herbstogether and counteract each other. These two
they may have been taking before, for an existingaspects, the fact that the study was not done on
condition. Others, they may take to help cope withhumans, and does not measure the overall effect of
some of the physical difficulties that go withthe whole ginseng extract, mean that its results should
pregnancy. The following supplements and foodbe treated cautiously. As a safety precaution, at this
additives should be avoided during pregnancy to avoidtime it is best to at least avoid ginseng supplements
potential problems with the health of the baby.Quinine -during the first trimester, as the authors of the study
Quinine is found in many drinks like tonic water, andsuggest, and probably for the whole of the pregnancy.
these are popular as a result of their slightly bitterBut ginseng should certainly not be branded dangerous
taste. But it was found that one woman who drunkas a result of this research as it is only a very
more than 1 liter of tonic water a day whilst she waspreliminary finding in the overall picture, and more points
pregnant had a baby that was suffering withdrawalthe way as to where further research needs to be
symptoms when it was born. It had nervous tremorsdone.Ginkgo Biloba - Ginkgo biloba is another
within a day of being born, which disappeared twosupplement that is best avoided whilst pregnant.
months later. Germany's BfR (Federal Institute for RiskResearchers at Wayne State University in Detroit
Assessment) recommends that pregnant womenfound one of the constituents of ginkgo biloba in the
treat quinine drinks, no matter how small the amount ofplacenta of women who had taken ginkgo
quinine in them, as a medicinal product, and avoid themsupplements. This particular constituent, an alkaloid
as a precaution during pregnancy.Ginseng - One of thecalled colchicine, can be fatal in high doses, though
more than 20 active constituents of ginseng wasmedicinally, it has great anti-inflammatory effects. Other
found by researchers at the Chinese University of theresearch has found that cochicine can harm a growing
Hong Kong Prince of Wales Hospital to be a possiblefetus. The potential problem with taking ginkgo
cause for concern for pregnant women. Thesesupplements regularly whilst pregnant is that colchicine
researchers were measuring the effect of this activecan build up in the womb, like caffeine when taken in
principle on fetal development in rats. And they foundexcess of the recommended maximum amounts. The
that, relating to the dose, rat embryonic developmentresearchers did stress that there was no link
was affected. Higher doses meant a higher level ofestablished in the study between ginkgo and
abnormalities, according to the markers ofcomplications in the pregnancy, the study only looked
development their study used.Now, this study was oneat levels of colchicine in the womb.References:
done on rat embryos, and so may not translate into
similar effects on humans. And it only studied the
effects of one of ginseng's active constituents, whichto know which herbs can safely help with morning
was a ginsenoside called Rb1. Ginseng actually hassickness? Read this herb pregnancy article, which also
over 20 ginsenosides, and other studies have foundcovers safe and unsafe herbs for pregnancy. And if
that these each have different actions.One of theyou'd like to know about echinacea, goldenseal and
difficulties with studying active constituents in herbalpregnancy, read all about it here.