Is Blessed Thistle safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Blessed Thistle. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A small manufacturer-sponsored, double-blind, randomized study compared Mother's Milk tea (Traditional Medicinals, Sebastopol, CA) to lemon verbena tea in exclusively breastfeeding mothers with milk insufficiency. Each Mother's Milk tea bag contained 35 mg of blessed thistle herb as well as several other herbs. Mothers were instructed to drink 3 to 5 cups of tea daily. No differences were seen between groups in infant digestive, respiratory, dermatological, and other maternal-reported adverse events. No differences were seen in the growth parameters of the breastfed infants between the two groups.[ 10 ]
Effects on milk supply
In a survey of nursing mothers in Australia, 98 mothers were taking blessed thistle as a galactogogue. On average, mothers rated blessed thistle being between slightly effective and moderately effective on a Likert scale. Eight percent of mothers taking blessed thistle reported experiencing adverse reactions, most commonly nausea, stomach cramps, dry mouth and fatigue.[ 11 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.