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🌿 Herbs & Spices - Pregnancy Food Safety
🌿 Herbs & Spices - Pregnancy Safety
25 herbs & spices items checked for pregnancy safety
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Herbs & Spices
black cohosh
May trigger uterine contractions and increase risk of preterm labor and miscarriage; influences estrogen and progesterone levels. Not safe during pregnancy.
🚫 Avoid
dong quai
Can cause uterine contractions and lead to miscarriage; associated with increased risk of birth defects especially in the first trimester.
🚫 Avoid
cinnamon
Safe in culinary amounts, but large medicinal doses may stimulate uterine contractions and lower blood sugar; cassia cinnamon also contains coumarin which can affect the liver in high doses.
⚠️ Caution
cloves
Safe in culinary amounts, but clove oil and concentrated supplements should be avoided as eugenol in large doses may thin the blood and stimulate the uterus.
⚠️ Caution
fennel
May have emmenagogue effects that can stimulate uterine contractions; fennel tea and fennel seed supplements should be used with caution during pregnancy.
⚠️ Caution
fenugreek
Can stimulate oxytocin secretion and uterine contractions; high doses have been linked to birth defects in animal studies including neural tube defects.
⚠️ Caution
lemongrass
Safe in culinary amounts found in Thai and Vietnamese cooking, but lemongrass tea and essential oil in large doses may stimulate menstrual flow.
⚠️ Caution
nutmeg
Safe in small culinary amounts, but large doses contain myristicin which can cause hallucinations, nausea, and may have uterotonic effects.
⚠️ Caution
oregano
Safe in food amounts, but medicinal doses (concentrated oil or supplements) may stimulate uterine contractions due to emmenagogue properties.
⚠️ Caution
parsley
Safe as a culinary garnish in small amounts, but large medicinal doses have emmenagogue properties and may stimulate uterine contractions, increasing miscarriage risk.
⚠️ Caution
rosemary
Safe in culinary amounts, but large medicinal doses may have uterine and menstrual flow stimulant effects; rosemary essential oil should not be ingested.
⚠️ Caution
saffron
Safe in small culinary amounts used for flavoring, but large doses (over 5g) may stimulate uterine contractions and have been used historically as an abortifacient.
⚠️ Caution
sage
Safe in culinary amounts, but contains thujone which in large medicinal doses can stimulate uterine contractions; sage tea and sage supplements should be avoided.
⚠️ Caution
star anise
Chinese star anise used in cooking is generally safe in small amounts, but Japanese star anise is toxic; avoid star anise tea and ensure correct species identification.
⚠️ Caution
turmeric
Safe in culinary amounts, but high-dose supplements (curcumin capsules) may stimulate the uterus and thin the blood; concentrated supplements should be avoided.
⚠️ Caution
basil
Safe when used in normal culinary amounts; contains folate and vitamin K that are beneficial during pregnancy.
✅ Safe
black pepper
Safe during pregnancy when used as a normal seasoning; no known adverse effects at culinary doses.
✅ Safe
cardamom
Safe in culinary amounts; commonly used in cooking and baking with no known adverse effects during pregnancy.
✅ Safe
coriander/cilantro
Safe during pregnancy when used in normal culinary amounts; both the leaves (cilantro) and seeds (coriander) are considered safe as food seasonings.
✅ Safe
cumin
Safe when used in normal culinary amounts; a common cooking spice with no known adverse effects during pregnancy at food-level doses.
✅ Safe
dill
Safe in culinary amounts; commonly used as a seasoning with no significant concerns during pregnancy.
✅ Safe
galangal
Safe in culinary amounts commonly used in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking; related to ginger with similar safety profile at food-level doses.
✅ Safe
ginger (fresh/ground)
Well-studied and shown to safely reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy; recommended to keep intake under 1g of dried ginger per day.
✅ Safe
tamarind
Safe during pregnancy in culinary amounts; rich in iron, thiamine, and vitamin C. A common ingredient in many cuisines.
✅ Safe
thyme
Safe when used in normal culinary amounts; one of the most commonly used herbs during pregnancy with no significant concerns at food-level doses.
✅ Safe
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