Health & Pregnancy

Taking Medicine During Pregnancy

What Alternative Therapies Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy?

The following substances in concentrated formulation (not as a spice in cooking) may harm your baby. Some are thought to cause birth defects and encourage early labor.

• Avoid these oral supplements: Arbor vitae, beth root, black cohosh, blue cohosh, cascara, chaste tree berry, Chinese angelica (dong quai), cinchona, cotton root bark, feverfew, ginseng, golden seal, juniper, kava kava, licorice, meadow saffron, pennyroyal, poke root, rue, sage, St. John's wort, senna, slippery root, tansy, white peony, wormwood, yarrow, yellow dock, and vitamin A (large doses can cause birth defects).
• Avoid these aromatherapy essential oils: Calamus, mugwort, pennyroyal, sage, wintergreen, basil, hyssop, myrrh, marjoram, and thyme.

When in doubt about any medication, supplement, or therapy, ask your health care provider before taking or using it.