Printable View
Has anyone used blue or black cohosh to kick off labour?
I'm due in just over a week and want to avoid another CS so am hoping to avoid going over dates. DS was born at 42 weeks so I was thinking about seeing a Naturopath to get some herbs to get me going next week if nothing has happened this week.
Hey kris
blue or black cohosh are herbs, that taken over a period of a few weeks, trigger uterine activity, which can lead to labor...I would certainly recommend seeing someone experienced in dealing with cohosh and pregnancy :)
a trip to a naturopath sounds great...sooner, rather than later, as the affect of alternative therapies can take at least a week to have some results
reflexology and acupuncture work well
good luck
xx yogababy
Hi Krisp
I would be a little cautious with those ones they can have side effects so like yoga baby said see a naturopath before self prescribing on those herbs. Cohosh has been linked with Liver dysfunction. Rasberry leaf is suppose to be good but started alot earlier than the stage your at. I dont know i tried absolutly everything to kick start labour naturally and still had to be induced. Good luck and hopefully bubs will want to join you soon.:D
Hey Kris
I guess you have had your beautiful baby...but I did do some follow up on the cohosh herbs....
this is not meant to cause any alarm...just to some information about the use of herbs in pregnancy and possible effects :):
A systematic review of the safety of black cohosh.
Huntley A, Ernst E.
Peninsula Medical School, University of Exter, United Kingdom.
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the available data relating to the safety of medicinal extracts of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). DESIGN: Systematic literature searches were conducted in seven electronic databases, and the reference lists of all papers located were checked for further relevant publications. Information was also sought from the spontaneous reporting programs of the World Health Organization and national drug safety bodies. Sixteen manufacturers of black cohosh preparations were contacted and asked for data held on file. Finally, our own departmental files were searched. No language restrictions were imposed. Combination products and homeopathic preparations were excluded. RESULTS: Data from clinical studies and spontaneous reporting programs suggest that adverse events (AEs) with black cohosh are rare, mild, and reversible. Gastrointestinal upsets and rashes are the most common AEs. The spontaneous reporting programs do contain a few serious AEs, including hepatic and circulatory conditions, but causality cannot be determined. Although there is large amount of data investigating the efficacy of black cohosh, in particular the product Remifemin, safety issues and the monitoring of AEs have not been the focus. CONCLUSION: If black cohosh products are taken for a limited length of time, there seems to be a slight risk of mild, transient AEs. More serious AEs seem to be rare, and it is impossible to ascertain causality with black cohosh with the limited data available. Thus, although definitive evidence is not available, it would seem that black cohosh is a safe herbal medicine.
Profound neonatal congestive heart failure caused by maternal consumption of blue cohosh herbal medication.
Jones TK, Lawson BM.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA.
A newborn infant whose mother ingested an herbal medication, blue cohosh, to promote uterine contractions presented with acute myocardial infarction associated with profound congestive heart failure and shock. The infant remained critically ill for several weeks, although he eventually recovered. Other causes of myocardial infarction were carefully excluded. Blue cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides, contains vasoactive glycosides and an alkaloid known to produce toxic effects on the myocardium of laboratory animals. We believe this represents the first described case of deleterious human fetal effects from maternal consumption of blue cohosh.
I also base all my teaching on research based fact...and as such do not recommend cohosh, and I am not familiar with its use :)
xx yogababy