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Articles > Pregnancy: Is St John's Wort safe?

Pregnancy: Is St John's Wort safe?

This is a question that I have often been asked by expectant mothers, midwives and medical practitioners. There has been a lot of questionable media attention regarding the safety of herbs like St John's Wort. These 'sensational statements' are usually not relevant for the clinical situation as they are often taken from in-vitro (test tube) or animal trials that dont necessarily reflect the bio-availability of the herbs in the human body or correspond to the way a herb would normally be used in a clinical setting. Unfortunately sensational and fear provoking reviews of herbs mean that the very people who could benefit the most from the herb feel uncertain about using it. Unless they seek qualified advice from a Medical Herbalist, they are unlikely to make use of it.

St John's Wort has been treasured in Europe for thousands of years, including during pregnancy, childbirth and lactation. It is a great nerve and blood tonic, an energy-giving herb and also helps to stabilise mood fluctuations during pregnancy and post partum. My principal teacher, a midwife and herbalist with over 40 years experience, commonly prescribes St John's Wort tea and St John's Wort fresh-plant tincture during pregnancy with great results and not a single adverse effect reported! For me, clinical results always count more than sometimes-questionable theoretical interpretation of research data.

I personally have successfully prescribed St John's Wort to my pregnant clients when they felt tired and exhausted and generally below par. In cases of musculo-skeletal problems like rib pain, sciatica, and muscle tension St John's Wort has proven to be reliable in providing relief. I ALWAYS prescribe it together with essential fatty acids when there is a history or danger of postnatal depression. In these situations of course other safety networks need to be put in place as well.

Officially St John's Wort is listed as a safe herb for pregnancy in the authoritative monograph of the special expert committee of the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medicinal Devices (Published December 5, 1984; Revised March 13, 1990).

St John's Wort is available as a single herb tea for relieving stress and as part of the mixture in the traditional European midwifery recipe for taking during pregnancy.

Externally, the combination of certified organic olive oil and freshly picked St John's Wort Oil, is an excellent therapeutic massage oil to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy and to prepare the perineum in the last 6 weeks before birth. It is highly beneficial as a therapeutic massage oil for calming and soothing body and mind. It is also one of the best and purest infant massage oils available (no petrochemicals, preservatives, colours or fragrances).