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Home > Herbs and Breastfeeding > Is This Herb Safe for Nursing Moms?A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Herbal safety for nursing mothers
Tea tree oil should be fine for external use in nursing moms. Use on or near the nipple area should be minimized. In concentrated form especially, tea tree oil can be irritating or cause dermatitis. On mucous membranes ( e.g.. mouth, vagina) double caution and considerable dilution is required. Therefore you'd want to be careful of this getting in baby's mouth. This is not for internal use. Duke describes this as lethal in the order of one to a few teaspoons for an adult. It is used in tiny amounts for flavouring in food, but Leong and Foster give the maximal amount allowable/used in food as 10 parts per million - less than 0.001%. It's recommended that a nursing mom minimize or avoid use of tea tree oil on or near her nipples for three reasons: First, it is a very aromatic oil which might result in baby refusing the breast (it doesn't taste pleasant to many people and the odor is long lasting and would be difficult to wipe off). Second, ingestion of tea tree oil is not recommended for anyone (particularly babies). Third, topical application of herbal preparations to nipples always raises the risk of sensitization/allergic reaction especially in a young baby, and this risk should be considered along with the possible benefits of use. Hale ("Medications and Mother's Milk") has an entry on tea tree oil: He says that it's an antibacterial and antifungal, noted for it's antimicrobial effects without irritating sensitive tissues. It's antimicrobial when tested against Candida albicans (the usual cause of thrush), E. coli, S. Aureus, Staph. epidermidis and pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although the use of tea tree oil in adults is mostly nontoxic, the safe use in infants is unknown. Use directly on nipple should be minimized. Toxic effects in adults include allergic eczema. Ataxia and drowsiness following oral ingestion of less than 10 cc by a 17 mo old infant. No pediatric concerns have been noted via milk. More general info can be found at HealthNotes and The Natural Pharmacist. [top]
There are no known contraindications to the use of thyme by pregnant or lactating women, however it has been used to slow or dry milk supply. Use with caution unless you're trying to decrease supply. More general info at WebMD and HealthNotes. [top]
No recommended for nursing moms (or anyone else). Tiratricol, also known as triiodothyroacetic acid or TRIAC, is a potent thyroid hormone that may cause serious health consequences including heart attacks and strokes. It is found in some dietary supplements for weight loss. More info from the FDA. [top]
Page last modified:
03/03/2005
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