Hepatic veno-occlusive disease in newborn infant of a woman drinking herbal tea

Herbal medicinal products during pregnancy: are they safe?

“…A five-day old Swiss girl was admitted with symptoms of jaundice, massive hepatomegaly and abdominal effusion 26 . The mother had had a normal pregnancy.…”

Embryotoxic and Teratogenic Potentials of Salacia lehmbachii in Rats

“…The risk of herb induced adverse effects is higher in people who are already prone to adverse reactions to conventional pharmacological preparations. Such persons include pregnant women, fetuses, children, lactating mothers and the elderly [4][5][6][7]. Pregnancy is associated with marked physiological alterations which perhaps make pregnant women more susceptible to certain diseases like malaria [8,9].…”

“…In this respect, the historical saga of thalidomide, a sedative used in the treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum, but later found to be responsible for a string of birth defects readily comes to mind [10][11][12][13]. Many herbal remedies have been reported to impair fetal development following usage in pregnancy [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

Herbal Treatment of Peptic Ulcer: Guilty or Innocent

“…Psychoactive effects in several herbal medicines have produced behavioural, cognitive, mania and emotional disturbances (Capwell, 1995). Most of these herbs are not recommended for woman with pregnancy or breast feeding (Roulet et al, 1988). Black nightshade is UNSAFE.…”