Blue cohosh may be unsafe. Some people have used black cohosh and blue cohosh together to induce labor, but this had side effects in at least one baby. Experts don’t fully understand what black cohosh might do to your baby.
Black cohosh, a homeopathic remedy traditionally used by Native Americans for a variety of gynecologic ailments, including menopausal symptoms and dysmenorrhea, is recommended by some midwives as an alternative to prostaglandins and oxytocin for inducing and augmenting labor.
The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines reports that black cohosh stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus and is contraindicated during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Black cohosh is possibly unsafe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. It might increase the risk of miscarriage or affect a nursing infant. Breast cancer: Black cohosh may worsen existing breast cancer.
Early research suggests that taking 120 mg per day of black cohosh extract plus 150 mg of clomiphene citrate can increase pregnancy rates in infertile women compared to clomiphene citrate alone.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It is LIKELY UNSAFE to take blue cohosh by mouth during pregnancy. Some of the chemicals in blue cohosh can cause birth defects. When taken by the mother late in pregnancy, blue cohosh can cause severe heart problems in the newborn baby. It can also be toxic to the mother.
Blue cohosh has been used in alternative medicine as an aid in stimulating the uterus in pregnant women to induce labor, or in non-pregnant women to cause a menstrual period.
Blue cohosh grows throughout North America. The roots of this flower are used medicinally. Blue cohosh is not related to black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). However, both herbs are primarily used to treat women’s health problems.
Results: According to a survey of midwives in the United States, approximately 64% of midwives reported using blue cohosh as a labour-inducing aid.
Blue cohosh is generally taken as a tincture and should be limited to no more than 1–2 ml taken three times per day. The whole herb (300–1,000 mg per day) is sometimes used. Blue cohosh is generally used in combination with other herbs.
The recommended dose of black cohosh ranges from 20 to 80 mg per day. The tablets should be standardized to contain 1 mg of 27-deoxyactein. For black cohosh tincture, that equals 2 to 4 ml, 1 to 3 times per day in water or tea. Two capsules or tablets typically provide the recommended daily dose.
Here’s what I found on WebMD: “For menopausal symptoms, the dose of black cohosh used in studies has been 20-40 milligram tablets of a standardized extract taken twice a day. More than 900 milligrams a day of black cohosh is considered an overdose.
Today, black cohosh is most commonly used for menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes (also called hot flushes) and night sweats (together known as vasomotor symptoms), vaginal dryness, heart palpitations, tinnitus, vertigo, sleep disturbances, nervousness, and irritability [5,6].
Researchers believe that the most important trigger of labor is a surge of hormones released by the fetus. In response to this hormone surge, the muscles in the mother’s uterus change to allow her cervix (at the lower end of her uterus) to open.
Rumors of “conventional” ways of inducing labor abound in the popular literature and include nipple stimulation, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, sexual intercourse, raspberry leaf tea, spicy food, balsamic vinegar, walking, castor or cod liver oil, enema, black or blue cohosh, heavy exertion, dehydration, starvation …
Labor Inducing Herbal Supplements
People sometimes use herbal supplements — including raspberry leaf tea, blue cohosh, and evening primrose oil — to try to hurry labor along.
Herbal remedies
Herbs such as blue and black cohosh, raspberry leaf tea, and evening primrose oil have been sold as a way to “prepare” your uterus for labor.
By bearing its seeds openly, Blue Cohosh is vulnerable to predators that would eat the seeds. The plant counteracts this vulnerability with the toxicity of its seeds. Blue Cohosh seeds are poisonous to many species including humans.
Overdose. It’s unknown whether it’s possible to overdose on black cohosh. To ensure your safety and minimize your risk of liver damage, take no more than the recommended daily dose of the black cohosh supplement you choose.
Blue Cohosh was used historically as a uterine tonic and to help with difficult labor. … Blue Cohosh berries are reported to be poisonous. The plant is a lovely addition to shade gardens but is not considered safe for general or edible use.
Spreading and bushy when mature, blue cohosh is a large, many-stemmed perennial, 1-3 ft. tall. Thrice-compound leaves with lobed leaflets are purplish in spring. Inconspicuous, purplish-brown to yellow-green flowers in a loosely branched cluster.
DO NOT use dong quai during pregnancy. It may cause the uterus to contract and raise the risk of miscarriage.
Conclusions: Black cohosh should be used with caution during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester where its purported labour-inducing effects could be of concern, and during lactation. Black cohosh should undergo rigorous high quality human studies to determine its safety in pregnancy and lactation.
Dong quai is used for menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and menopausal symptoms. It is also used orally as a “blood purifier”; to manage hypertension, infertility, joint pain, ulcers, “tired blood” (anemia), and constipation; and in the prevention and treatment of allergic attacks.
NATURALLY INDUCING LABOR AND IT WORKED| LABOR STORY