Message #974 - THE_HERBALIST 
   Date: 12-22-95 11:26
   From: Morgan
     To: Vulpie
Subject: Pregnancy: Herbs to Use with Caution
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      Title: Herbs To Be Used With Caution During Pregnancy
 Categories: Pregnancy
      Yield: 1 text
 
 
  The following herbs are useful during pregnancy and childbirth but must be
  used with caution and only for specific remedial situations.  DO NOT USE
  THESE HERBS CARELESSLY.  See cautions on each herb in my Materia Medica
  for Women or in your favorite herbals.  These herbs should only be used
  under guidance from an experienced herbalist and midwife or doctor.
  
  ANGELICA (Angelica archangelica and A. sylvestris)  A strong, stately herb
  often used to correct menstrual irregularity and delayed menstruation,
  angelica promotes blood flow to the pelvis and causes uterine
  contractions.  Therefore, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE DURING PREGNANCY,
  although it is sometimes employed by midwives during childbirth when labor
  is prolonged or delayed.  Angelica is the herb of choice of most midwives
  to help expel the placenta following childbirth.
  
  BLACK COHOSH (Cimicifuga racemosa)  Considered a marvelous woman's tonic
  herb, black cohosh is both a uterine stimulant and a uterine relaxant.
  Possessing estrogenlike qualities, it is used to promote menstruation and
  regulate hormonal action.  Eclectic physicians believed black cohosh to be
  one of the most useful and powerful uterine tonics; some of the early
  patent medicines contained high concentrations of the herb.  However,
  because of its stimulating effects on the uterus, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED
  FOR PREGNANT WOMEN EXCEPT DURING THE LAST WEEK OF PREGNANCY, and then only
  with the guidance of an experienced herbalist and midwife or doctor.  It
  is often combined with blue cohosh and used during the last week to
  prepare the uterus for childbirth.  Its unique properties enable it to
  stimulate contractions while relaxing the tension and stress that
  concentrates in the uterine muscles.
  
  BLUE COHOSH (Caulophyllum thalictroides)  Blue cohosh is considered one of
  the best uterine stimulants and menstruation-promoting herbs available.
  It is often combined with black cohosh (the two are NOT related, even
  though their names are similar) and used as a tea and/or tincture during
  the last week of pregnancy to prepare the uterus for an easy birth and to
  stimulate uterine contractions.  Caulosaponin, a chemical component of
  blue cohosh, actively stimulates uterine contractions and promotes blood
  flow to the pelvic region.  BECAUSE OF ITS STRONG UTERINE STIMULANT
  PROPERTIES, BLUE COHOSH SHOULD NOT BE USED AT ANY TIME DURING PREGNANCY,
  EXCEPT IN THE LAST WEEK, and then only with the guidance of an experienced
  herbalist and midwife or doctor.  It is very beneficial when labor is long
  and drawn out.
  
  MOTHERWORT (Leonurus cardiaca)  Though motherwort is used during the last
  few days of pregnancy to prepare the uterus for childbirth, ITS
  MENSTRUATION-PROMOTING PROPERTIES MAKE ITS USE UNDESIRABLE THROUGHOUT
  PREGNANCY.  Concentrations of leonurine and stachydrine, two chemical
  constituents that promote uterine contractions, are found in motherwort,
  substantiating its traditional use to promote menstruation and hasten
  childbirth.
  
  PENNYROYAL LEAF (Hedeoma pulegioides and Mentha pulegium)  Pennyroyal is
  one of the best-known herbs for stimulating blood flow to the pelvis and
  activating uterine contractions.  BECAUSE OF ITS ABILITY TO STIMULATE
  UTERINE CONTRACTIONS, IT SHOULD NEVER BE USED BY PREGNANT WOMEN EXCEPT
  DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF PREGNANCY.  Though pennyroyal herb is often
  listed as toxic, it is not poisonous and has, in fact, proven quite useful
  as a birthing aid.  HOWEVER, THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF PENNYROYAL, IF TAKEN
  INTERNALLY, IS EXTREMELY TOXIC AND HAS KILLED WOMEN WHO HAVE TRIED TO TAKE
  IT TO STIMULATE ABORTIONS.  While the herb can be used safely during the
  last few days of pregnancy, the oil should not be used by pregnant women
  at any time.
  
  SHEPHERD'S PURSE (Capsella bursa-pastoris)  This plant is listed here not
  because it should be used with such great caution, but because it has a
  specific remedial action for pregnant women.  Shepherd's purse is the herb
  par excellence for hemorrhaging during childbirth.  Its high
  concentrations of tannin, tyramine, and other amines are very helpful in
  arresting the flow of excessive bleeding.  The herb should be used FRESH
  or tinctured from fresh plant material for maximum effectiveness.
  Tinctures made of fresh herb are almost always effective in curbing
  excessive bleeding and are included in the birthing kits of most midwives
  I know.  Because shepherd's purse is high in oxytocin, a uterine
  contractor, it may also help stimulate contractions at the end of labor,
  though I have never seen it used for this purpose.
  
  YARROW (Achillea millefolium)  Yarrow, an excellent hemostatic, is used in
  combination with shepherd's purse to arrest hemorrhaging during
  childbirth.  Yarrow is generally considered a safe, nontoxic herb and is
  commonly used for colds, flus, and fevers.  However, BECAUSE OF ITS
  STIMULATING ACTION ON THE UTERUS, IT IS ONE OF THE HERBS THAT SHOULD NOT
  BE USED DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF PREGNANCY.
 
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