The Use of Herbal Supplements in Pregnancy and the Interaction of Health

Abstract

Women often seek for complementary and alternative medicine to treat or prevent health problems. The numerous physiologic changes occuring during pregnancy just like morning sickness or insomnia, come out as a need to find a solution safer than medicine use. Despite the lack of data about safety of herbal products’ use during pregnancy, because of cultural and regional factors, knowledge about the natural source of herbals and teratogenicity of drugs usage of herbal products is increasing. The most commonly used herbals during pregnancy are chamomile, ginger, cranberry, echinacea and raspberry leaf. There are literature data about the usage of these herbs during pregnancy but safety and dosages are not clear. As the medicines do, herbs can also cause undesirable results, adverse affects, drug interactions and complications related to pregnancy. In conclusion, the use of herbal products during pregnancy is common and popular despite to limited data from the studies. Health professionals should not ignore the use of herbs during pregnancy and should be aware of the properties of herbals. In this review, herbals mainly used during pregnancy and their effects are evaluated.