Reproductive Health

Nutrients connected to Reproductive Health

A link means the body needs the nutrient for this, or that low intake is linked to it. It does not mean extra supplements help if your intake is already adequate; each link shows how strong the evidence is.

• MotherwortDocumented risk

  Motherwort medicines must not be used during pregnancy, according to the European summary. Safety during breastfeeding has not been established.

• PeriwinkleDocumented risk

  FDA advises pregnant women and women who could become pregnant not to take vinpocetine, the compound sold as periwinkle.

• Blue cohoshDocumented risk

  Blue cohosh is used to try to start labor or end pregnancy, and case reports link it to harm to the pregnancy and newborn. Avoid in pregnancy unless a doctor or midwife advises.

• PennyroyalDocumented risk

  Pennyroyal is contraindicated in pregnancy; deaths and organ failure are reported in women who used it to end a pregnancy.

• RueDocumented risk

  Rue has been taken to end pregnancy; miscarriage is listed as an effect and four deaths occurred in a poison-centre series. A safety caution: avoid in pregnancy.

• Vasaka (Malabar nut)Documented risk

  Reviews report womb-stimulating and abortifacient effects of vasicine in animals and lab tissue, and traditional use to end pregnancy. Avoid in pregnancy.

• Chitrak (Ceylon leadwort)Documented risk

  The root is traditionally an abortifacient, and animal studies report anti-implantation, abortion-like and birth-defect findings. Avoid in pregnancy.

• PartridgeberryDocumented risk

  A consumer drug reference labels it unsafe in pregnancy and says it might cause a miscarriage; no human study was found. Ask a midwife or doctor before using it.

• MayappleDocumented risk

  Contraindicated in pregnancy and breastfeeding; malformations, miscarriage and early labour are reported (IPCS, CDC).

• Trichosanthes (tian hua fen)Documented risk

  Trichosanthin from the root was used to end pregnancies and can cause severe bleeding. Avoid in pregnancy.

• Scotch broomDocumented risk

  Rated likely unsafe in pregnancy; might cause miscarriage.

• Pennyroyal Tea (Dangers)Documented risk

  MSK says it can cause miscarriage; deaths reported in women using the oil to end a pregnancy.

• Motherwort TeaDocumented risk

  Contraindicated in pregnancy per the EU monograph.

• Wormwood Tea (Dangers)Documented risk

  Not recommended in pregnancy; thujone stimulates the uterus and rat data show fewer implantations.

• Vitamin B9 (folate and folic acid)Clinically supported

  Folic acid before and in early pregnancy lowers the risk of neural tube defects. Folate needs are higher in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

• RosemaryDocumented risk

  Rosemary leaf medicines are not recommended in pregnancy or breastfeeding because safety has not been established.

• SagePreliminary or mixed

  Studied for menopausal hot flashes with mixed small-trial results. Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended.

• FenugreekDocumented risk

  Not safe above food amounts in pregnancy; evidence on milk supply is mixed.

• Bitter MelonDocumented risk

  A rat study of the unripe fruit water extract found more malformed litters; no human pregnancy data were found, so caution is advised.

• MacaPreliminary or mixed

  Most human research is on sexual function, menopause symptoms and male fertility; results are promising for some uses but limited.

• FeverfewDocumented risk

  Not advised in pregnancy because it may affect uterine contractions.

• Black cohoshClinically supported

  Studied for menopause symptoms in adult women (hot flushes, sweating) with mixed results.

• ChasteberryPreliminary or mixed

  Studied for cycle-related symptoms (PMS); evidence is limited, and it may be unsafe in pregnancy.

• Red raspberry leafDocumented risk

  Used around pregnancy and birth, but safety in pregnancy has not been proven and human trials show no clear benefit. Tell your midwife before using it.

• TribulusPreliminary or mixed

  Reviews suggest possible improvement in erection scores, but the evidence is low quality and results are mixed.

• MugwortDocumented risk

  Mugwort has traditionally been used to bring on labour or miscarriage and showed hormone-like and anti-implantation effects in animals; avoid in pregnancy unless advised by a clinician. Moxibustion for breech babies is a separate, practitioner-led use.

• Black hawDocumented risk

  A consumer reference rates black haw possibly unsafe in pregnancy because it might affect the uterus. This is a caution, not a benefit.

• ShatavariPreliminary or mixed

  Studied for menopause, low desire, PCOS and lactation in small trials; evidence is limited.

• Shepherd's pursePreliminary or mixed

  Traditional use for heavy periods is recognised by EU regulators; clinical evidence is limited to one small trial.

• GuayusaDocumented risk

  Caffeine total should stay below 200 mg a day in pregnancy per the NHS; no guayusa-specific data.

• OshaDocumented risk

  Osha is traditionally avoided in pregnancy because it may induce menstruation; AHPA recommended a not-for-pregnancy label in 1997.

• ChuanxiongDocumented risk

  No safe amount for pregnancy is recorded in Chinese guidelines, and high doses harmed mouse pregnancies. Avoid unless a clinician agrees.

• Pleurisy rootDocumented risk

  A consumer reference rates pregnancy use unsafe because the root may stimulate the uterus and act like estrogen.

• Bayberry (wax myrtle)Documented risk

  Consumer references rate bayberry possibly unsafe in pregnancy and breastfeeding. A safety caution.

• Cuscuta seed (tu si zi)Preliminary or mixed

  The main studied area is male and female fertility, mostly with multi-herb formulas and animal work.

• Achyranthes (niu xi)Documented risk

  A Hong Kong herb database advises caution in pregnancy and PROSEA reports use to aid delivery and anti-fertility effects of an extract in mice; avoid in pregnancy.

• FenugreekDocumented risk

  Not safe above food amounts in pregnancy; evidence on milk supply is mixed.

• Moutan (tree peony root bark, mu dan pi)Documented risk

  Pregnancy and very heavy periods are listed as contraindications; formula trials for painful periods and fibroids are limited and include other herbs.

• Pinellia (ban xia)Lab or animal research only

  Animal studies found embryo harm and abortion effects from raw tuber and a tuber lectin, and embryo-related harm from a processed form. No human pregnancy data were found, so avoid unless a doctor approves.

• Thuja (northern white cedar)Documented risk

  Sources advise avoiding or minimising thuja in pregnancy and breastfeeding because safety is not established.

• Gravel root (Joe-Pye weed)Documented risk

  A consumer drug reference rates products that may contain liver-toxic alkaloids as likely unsafe in pregnancy and breastfeeding and advises avoiding gravel root.

• Papaya leafDocumented risk

  Animal reproductive effects and no human safety data; the review advises avoiding use in pregnancy.

• EpazoteDocumented risk

  TRAMIL says oral use is not for pregnancy because it can cause miscarriage.

• Bitter leafDocumented risk

  Used to induce abortion in northern Uganda; one reported case ended in death from liver and kidney failure. Avoid in pregnancy.

• TepezcohuiteDocumented risk

  Animal studies link the plant to abortion and birth defects; human data were not found.

• Vervain (European)Documented risk

  Vervain is advised against in pregnancy because of its traditional use to bring on labour and the lack of safety data.

• BorageDocumented risk

  Memorial Sloan Kettering says borage oil should not be used in pregnancy or breastfeeding (possible birth defects, premature labor).

• Cowslip (primula)Documented risk

  The EU monographs say safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established and use is not recommended for lack of data.

• Thunder god vineDocumented risk

  Menstrual changes and possible birth defects are documented risks.

• Pueraria mirifica (kwao krua)Documented risk

  Japanese reports link supplements containing it with irregular bleeding and menstrual disorders.

• Dried fenugreek leaf (kasuri methi)Documented risk

  Not safe above food amounts in pregnancy; evidence on milk supply is mixed.

• Neroli OilPreliminary or mixed

  Trials covered labor and menopause symptoms with self-rated outcomes.

• Juniper Berry OilDocumented risk

  Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended by the EU committee; safety is not established.

• Pennyroyal Oil (Dangers)Documented risk

  Used as an abortifacient with documented lethal liver toxicity.

• Red Raspberry Leaf TeaDocumented risk

  The EU committee says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established and does not recommend use; the 2024 study said its lack of safety concerns is not evidence of safety.

• Rosemary TeaDocumented risk

  Same EU pregnancy and breastfeeding caution.

• Rose TeaPreliminary or mixed

  The tea trial concerned primary dysmenorrhea (period pain); one study only.

• Catnip TeaDocumented risk

  Reference databases advise avoiding catnip in pregnancy because it may stimulate the uterus; these are database statements, not trials.

• Anise TeaDocumented risk

  EU: safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding not established, use not recommended; LactMed reports newborn toxicity with a blend. One preterm-milk trial of the tea exists, with limits.

• Eating Clay (Geophagy)Documented risk

  Most evidence is from pregnant women; fetal outcome data are lacking per the Ghana review.

• Prenatal and Postnatal VitaminsClinically supported

  Prenatal products are used around pregnancy; folic acid has trial support for neural tube defect prevention. Other benefits for well-nourished women are mixed.

• ZincDeficiency link

  Hypogonadism in males is listed as a sign of zinc deficiency.

• SeleniumEstablished role

  The NHS says selenium helps in reproduction. Effects of supplements were not reviewed in the sources we read.

• Asian ginsengPreliminary or mixed

  Some research on erectile dysfunction; low-quality evidence.

• HorsetailDocumented risk

  Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established, so use is not recommended. This reflects missing data, not proven harm.

• Tongkat aliPreliminary or mixed

  Studied for male sexual function with mixed results.

• Blue vervainDocumented risk

  A reference article on vervain says it may not be safe in pregnancy and that safety while nursing is not established; the species is not named.

• KudzuPreliminary or mixed

  Small studies suggest some relief of menopausal symptoms (a root extract in an open-label study, a flower-and-peel blend in a placebo-controlled trial), but MSK says a systematic review found no benefit, so evidence is mixed.

• AshokaPreliminary or mixed

  Ashoka bark is used for menstrual problems. One uncontrolled study of a syrup reported less bleeding; no controlled human evidence was found.

• Nut grass (mustaka, xiang fu)Preliminary or mixed

  Traditional gynecological use only; no human trial of the herb alone was read.

• Dill seedPreliminary or mixed

  One period-pain trial and a small labor review; both limited.

• Japanese knotweed (hu zhang)Documented risk

  Emodin was linked to reproductive toxicity in lab and animal work. Pregnancy safety data for the root were not found.

• Sophora flavescens (ku shen)Documented risk

  Matrine reduced sperm function in mice and in vitro; no human data were found.

• Bee balm (Monarda)Documented risk

  A consumer reference says medicinal amounts are likely unsafe in pregnancy because they may trigger menstruation; this is not confirmed by an agency source we read.

• SalaciaDocumented risk

  A large amount of root extract in pregnant rats caused pregnancy losses and low pup survival; human data not found, and avoidance in pregnancy is advised.

• Makrut (kaffir) lime leafDocumented risk

  Peel extract caused pregnancy loss in rats; the authors suggest avoiding it in pregnancy. Leaf in food was not studied.

• Calotropis (arka)Lab or animal research only

  In rats the latex and leaf extract lowered sex hormones and damaged testis tissue; no human data.

• Grapefruit OilPreliminary or mixed

  One trial of premenstrual symptoms with inhaled grapefruit oil.

• Cynomorium (Suo Yang)Lab or animal research only

  Traditional use and animal studies point to the reproductive system; no human trial found.

• Korean Red GinsengPreliminary or mixed

  Low-quality trials on erectile function.

• Evening Primrose OilPreliminary or mixed

  Studied for PMS, menopause hot flashes and cervix ripening at term, with mixed or no-benefit results and pregnancy cautions.

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