Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy

Scientific Name	Common Name(s)	Part(s) Used	Form of Use	Comments
Achillea millefolium	Milenrama, Yarrow	Stems, leaves, and flowers	Tea	May induce uterine contractions.
Actaea racemosa	Cohosh negro, Black cohosh	Root	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Adiantum capillus-veneris	Maidenhair fern, Culantrilllo de pozo	Fronds (leaves)	Tea	May induce uterine contractions
Aloe vera	Sábila, zábila, Aloe, babosa	Gel and latex	Cremas, Preparaciones, Hoja entera, Bebidas	Gel used topically is considered safe. Avoid ingesting whole leaf preparations as they may induce uterine contractions.
Alchemilla, xanthochlora	Lady’s mantle	Leaves	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions
Angelica archangelica	Angélica	Root	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Angelica sinensis	Angélica china, Dong Quai, Dang gui, Chinese angelica	Root	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Anthemis nobilis	Manzanilla romana, Roman chamomile	Flowers	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Artemisia spp.	Estafiate, Istafiate, Ajenjo, Wormwood	Leaves and stems	Tea	Various species of wormwood contain potentially neurotoxic ingredient known as thujone.
Capsella bursa-pastoris	Shepherd’s purse, Bolsa de pastor	Leaves, stems and flowers	Tea, tinctures	May induce uterine contractions.
Cascara sagrada	Cáscara sagrada, Sacred bark	Tree bark	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Caulophyllum thalictroides	Cohosh azul, Blue cohosh, squaw root	Root	Tea, capsules	May be toxic to fetus and induce uterine contractions.
Centella asiatica	Gotu kola, Centela	Steams, leaves	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Cinnamomum cassia	Canelón, Cassia	Tree bark	Tea	Occasional use as a condiment considered safe. Taken as tea may induce uterine contractions.
Claviceps purpurea	Ergot, Cornezuelo del centeno	Fungus (sclerotium)	Grows in various species of infected cereal grains (rare in industrialized countries)	May induce uterine contractions.
Cinnamomum verum	Canela, Cinnamon, true cinnamon	Tree bark	Tea	Occasional use as a condiment considered safe. Taken as tea may induce uterine contractions.
Datura spp	Estramonio, toloache Jimsonweed, stramonium, moonflower	Planta entera	Tea	Various species of Datura are toxic and hallucinogenic. Avoid use.
Dioscorea villosa	Wild yam, Cabeza de negro	Root and rhizomes	Tea, tinctures, capsules	Uterine stimulant
Dryopteris filix-mas	Male fern, Helecho macho, Dentabrón	Root	Tea, extracts, pills	May induce uterine contractions.
Dysphania spp	Wormseed, Mexican tea, Epazote, Paico	Leaves and stems	Tea	Occasional use as a condiment considered safe. Contains a toxic compound known as ascaridol; may induce uterine contractions. Avoid ingesting oil, as it is neurotoxic.
Foeniculum vulgare	Fennel, Hinojo	Seeds, root, leaves	Tea, pills, capsules, essential oil	High doses should be avoided, as they may induce uterine contractions
Harpagophytum procumbens	Devil’s claw, Garra del diablo	Root	Tea, pills, capsules	May induce uterine contractions
Humulus lupulus	Lúpulo, Hops	Fruits	Tea, pills, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Hydrastis canadensis	Sello dorado, Golden Seal	Root	Tea, pills, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Hypericum perforatum	Hierba de San Juan, corazoncillo, hipérico, St. John´s Wort	Flowers, Steams	Tea, pills, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Hypericum perforatum	Hierba de San Juan, corazoncillo, hipérico, St. John´s Wort	Flowers, Steams	Tea, pills, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Juniperus spp.	Sabino, Juniper berry	Berry	Tea	May induce uterine contractions.
Leonorus cardiaca	Motherwort, Agripalma	Stem, leaves, and flowers	Tea, tinctures, syrups	May induce uterine contractions.
Lycopus virginicus	Bugleweed, Menta de lobo	Stem, leaves, and flowers	Tea, tinctures	May induce uterine contractions.
Matricaria recutita	Manzanilla alemana, German chamomille	Flowers	Tea, capsules, Enema	May induce uterine contractions.
Mentha pulegium	Poleo, Pennyroyal	leaves, Steams and Flowers	Te, Aceite esencial	Essential oil should not be used internally; abortifacient and liver toxic.
Montanoa tomentosa	Zoapatle. Cihuapatli	Leaves and stems	Tea	May induce uterine contractions.
Nicotiana tabacum	Tabaco, Tobacco	leaves	Smoked, chewed	Castor oil used as laxative may stimulate uterine contractions. The seeds are very poisonous.
Ocimum basilicum	Basil, Albahaca, Albacar	Leaves and stems	Tea, essential oil	Safe as a condiment. Avoid essential oil during pregnancy.
Origanum spp	Oregano	Leaves and stems	Tea, essential oil	Occasional use as a condiment considered safe. Taken as tea may induce uterine contractions. Avoid topical use of essential oil during pregnancy; avoid ingestion of essential oil.
Panax ginseng	Ginseng coreano, Korean ginseng	Root	Tea, capsules	Safety for use during pregnancy not established.
Panax quinquefolius	Ginseng americano, American ginseng	Root	Tea, capsules	Safety for use during pregnancy not established.
Passiflora incarnata	Flor de la pasión, Passion flower	Flowers	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Pausinystalia yohimbe	Yohimbe	Tree Bark	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Peumus boldus	Boldo	leaves	Tea	Contains a toxic compound known as ascaridol and a hypnotic alkaloid, boldine.
Piper methysticum	Kava kava	Rhizomes, root	Liquid extracts, capsules	Safety for use during pregnancy not established.
Rhamnus purshiana	Espino cerval, Buckthorn	Corteza	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Rheum spp	Ruibarbo, Rhubarb	Root	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Ricinus communis	Ricino, Castor oil, palma Christi	Seeds	Oil	Castor oil used as laxative may stimulate uterine contractions. The seeds are very poisonous.
Rosmarinus officinalis	Romero, Rosemary	Steams and leaves	Tea, essential oil	Occasional use as a condiment considered safe. Taken as tea may induce uterine contractions. Avoid topical use of essential oil during pregnancy; avoid ingestion of essential oil.
Ruta graveolens	Rue, Ruda	Leaves and stems	Tea	Toxic internally, may induce uterine contractions.
Serenoa repens	Palma sabal, Saw palmetto	Berrys	Pills, capsules	Bark may induce uterine contractions. Unripe berries are toxic.
Symphytum officinale	Comfrey	Planta entera	Tea, capsules	Avoid prolonged use internally; can be liver toxic.
Tabebuia spp	Palo de arco, lapacho Pau d´ arco	Flowers, Arbol, Corteza	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Tanacetum vulgare	Tanaceto, Feverfew	Flowers, Steams	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Tanacetum vulgare	Tanaceto, Feverfew	Flowers, Steams	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Trifolium pratense	Trébol, Clover	Flowers, Steams	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Trigonella foenum-graecum	Alholva, fenogreco, Fenugreek	leaves, Semillas	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Turnera diffusa	Damiana, hierba de la pastora	Flowers, Steams	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Uncaria tomentosa	Uña de gato, Cat´s claw	Liana	Tea, capsules	May induce uterine contractions.
Ustilago maydis	Corn smut, Cuitlacoche, Huitlacoche	Fungus	Food	Safety for ingestion during pregnancy not established. Avoid especially during the first trimester of pregnancy.

References

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Herbs to Avoid During Pregnancy

Scientific Name

Common Name(s)

Part(s) Used

Form of Use

Comments

References