| Prenatal vitamins are an important source of folate | | | | medicine is that the whole herbal extract may have a |
| and other vital nutrients during pregnancy. And many | | | | very different overall effect than a single constituent. |
| women, with the popularity of herbal medicine, take | | | | This is because of the way active principles both work |
| other herbs during pregnancy. Some of these herbs | | | | together and counteract each other. These two |
| they may have been taking before, for an existing | | | | aspects, the fact that the study was not done on |
| condition. Others, they may take to help cope with | | | | humans, and does not measure the overall effect of |
| some of the physical difficulties that go with | | | | the whole ginseng extract, mean that its results should |
| pregnancy. The following supplements and food | | | | be treated cautiously. As a safety precaution, at this |
| additives should be avoided during pregnancy to avoid | | | | time 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, and | | | | suggest, and probably for the whole of the pregnancy. |
| these are popular as a result of their slightly bitter | | | | But ginseng should certainly not be branded dangerous |
| taste. But it was found that one woman who drunk | | | | as a result of this research as it is only a very |
| more than 1 liter of tonic water a day whilst she was | | | | preliminary finding in the overall picture, and more points |
| pregnant had a baby that was suffering withdrawal | | | | the way as to where further research needs to be |
| symptoms when it was born. It had nervous tremors | | | | done.Ginkgo Biloba - Ginkgo biloba is another |
| within a day of being born, which disappeared two | | | | supplement that is best avoided whilst pregnant. |
| months later. Germany's BfR (Federal Institute for Risk | | | | Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit |
| Assessment) recommends that pregnant women | | | | found one of the constituents of ginkgo biloba in the |
| treat quinine drinks, no matter how small the amount of | | | | placenta of women who had taken ginkgo |
| quinine in them, as a medicinal product, and avoid them | | | | supplements. This particular constituent, an alkaloid |
| as a precaution during pregnancy.Ginseng - One of the | | | | called colchicine, can be fatal in high doses, though |
| more than 20 active constituents of ginseng was | | | | medicinally, it has great anti-inflammatory effects. Other |
| found by researchers at the Chinese University of the | | | | research has found that cochicine can harm a growing |
| Hong Kong Prince of Wales Hospital to be a possible | | | | fetus. The potential problem with taking ginkgo |
| cause for concern for pregnant women. These | | | | supplements regularly whilst pregnant is that colchicine |
| researchers were measuring the effect of this active | | | | can build up in the womb, like caffeine when taken in |
| principle on fetal development in rats. And they found | | | | excess of the recommended maximum amounts. The |
| that, relating to the dose, rat embryonic development | | | | researchers did stress that there was no link |
| was affected. Higher doses meant a higher level of | | | | established in the study between ginkgo and |
| abnormalities, according to the markers of | | | | complications in the pregnancy, the study only looked |
| development their study used.Now, this study was one | | | | at 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, which | | | | to know which herbs can safely help with morning |
| was a ginsenoside called Rb1. Ginseng actually has | | | | sickness? Read this herb pregnancy article, which also |
| over 20 ginsenosides, and other studies have found | | | | covers safe and unsafe herbs for pregnancy. And if |
| that these each have different actions.One of the | | | | you'd like to know about echinacea, goldenseal and |
| difficulties with studying active constituents in herbal | | | | pregnancy, read all about it here. |