Herbal remedies risk to pregnant women
Reported October 04, 2008
Two in three women could be risking their unborn child’s health by taking herbal remedies, a major study in Norwich has revealed.
Many pregnant women take alternative medicine on recommendations of friends or family despite the fact there is little evidence that they are safe.
The research, carried out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, showed women were using products such as ginger and cranberry supplements, raspberry leaf products and Floradix, a supplement containing organic iron, herbs and vitamins, without having been advised to by medical professionals.
However research shows that raspberry leaf may cause pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening condition for the mother in late pregnancy, and make the baby more likely to need special care after the birth.
The study was the brainchild of University of East Anglia student Lone Holst and her work is being presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester this week.
It involved 578 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at the NNUH, 60pc of whom said they were using at least one herbal product, and 49pc were unsure of the safety of the products.
Worryingly only 20pc had informed their doctor or midwife they were taking them.
Miss Holst, who is also a student at the University of Bergen, Norway, said similar studies in Norway, the US and Australia found fewer pregnant women used herbal products there than in Britain.
Many were using them for nausea and vomiting, for which ginger is supposed to be helpful, or cranberry for urinary tract infections, but their use was more widespread in the UK.
Miss Holst said: “In the later stages some women were taking raspberry leaf to prepare the uterus for labour. But only a few had told their doctor or midwife, which is scary.
“I don’t think you should take anything in pregnancy because there is so little information available about the safety of these products.
“Women wrongly think these products are safe because they are natural.
“Any pregnant woman thinking of taking herbal products must make sure her doctor and midwife know.”
Professor Peter Houghton, professor in pharmacognosy at King’s College London, added: “People think herbal remedies are safer than ordinary medicines but pregnant women should not take them wherever possible.”
