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Herbal medicinal products during pregnancy: are they safe?
Author(s) -
Ernst E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.t01-1-01009.x
Subject(s) - citation , alternative medicine , medicine , family medicine , psychology , library science , computer science , pathology
The use of herbal medicinal products, usually marketed as dietary (food, nutritional) supplements or ‘neutraceuticals’, is rapidly increasing. Between 1990 and 1997 herbal medicine product usage in the US general population rose by 380%. In 1998 the total US sales of herbal medicine products amounted to $4 billion. Virtually all survey data agree that users of herbal medicine products are predominantly female. Thus one might assume that pregnant women frequently use herbal medicine products, particularly as such remedies are often perceived as being ‘natural and therefore free of risks’. This article is an attempt to review the usage of herbal medicine products by pregnant women and to discuss some of the implications arising from it. Its aim is to alert healthcare professionals to the fact that herbal medicine products are not entirely free of risks for pregnant or lactating women.