Is Eleuthero safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Eleuthero. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
A mother who took a product labeled as "pure Siberian ginseng" during pregnancy and breastfeeding gave birth to a hirsute Caucasian infant with thick black pubic hair, hair on the whole forehead, swollen red nipples, and enlarged testes. The infant's serum testosterone, cortisol and 17-hydroxyprogesterone were within normal limits. After breastfeeding was stopped at 2 weeks of age, the excess hair began to fall out and was gone by 7.5 weeks of age.[ 1 ] Later analysis of the product found that it was not Eleutherococcus , but the bark of the silk vine ( Periploca sepium ), possibly contaminated with some other unidentified product.[ 2 , 3 ]
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
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.