Herbs & Pregnancy
morning meal (in cereal or oatmeal) and
drink lots of water during the day.
Raspberry Leaf – A strong uterine tonic
only for the last trimester of pregnancy to
help the body prepare for childbirth. Drink a
raspberry leaf infusion daily in the last trimester and for 2 to 3 weeks after giving birth to
help the muscles contract and promote breast
milk. Do not use this infusion during early
pregnancy.
Calendula – Calendula oil is very nourishing to your skin and helps promote healing.
Massage macerated calendula oil (available on
Amazon.com) into your skin during pregnancy to prevent stretch marks.
Now having said that, just as there are beneficial herbs to be used during pregnancy and
childbirth, there are also herbs to be avoided.
You’ll notice that some of these herbs are culinary herbs.
20
These can be used as you normally would use
them in cooking but don’t take them medicinally while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding:
• Aloe vera
• American
spikenard
• Angelica root
• Ashwaghanda
• Bearberry
• Black cohosh
• Borage
• Catnip
• Cayenne
• Celery seed
• Comfrey
• Common sage
• Crampbark
• Feverfew
• Ginseng (ANY)
• Goji
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Golden seal
Hemp agrimony
Juniper
Lemongrass
Liquorice root
Mistletoe
Mugwort
Oregon grape
Red clover
Rosemary
St. John’s wort
Thyme
Turmeric
Vervain
Wormwood
Yarrow
When the birthing process stays as close
to nature as possible it’s a win/win for both
mother and child. Using these herbal remedies will go a long way toward doing exactly
that and keeping you and your baby happy
and healthy before, during and after birth.