Is Wild Asparagus safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Wild Asparagus. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Fifteen postpartum women who reported diminished lactation were given Ricalex (Aphali Pharmaceutical, Ltd., Ahmednegar, India) that contained 40 mg of a concentrated extract of wild asparagus, plus dicalcium phosphate 400 mg and 10 mg of ash (suvarnamakshika bhasma). They took 2 tablets twice daily after meals. Eleven of the 15 women reported an increase in milk supply and 4 of these women reported a gradual decrease in milk supply after stopping the preparation and another increase after restarting.[ 4 ] Because of a lack of blinding, randomization, and placebo control, this study cannot be considered reliable. Forty women who complained of an insufficient milk supply at 5 days postpartum were given a combination herbal supplement as 2 capsules of Lactare (Pharma Private Ltd., Madras, India; currently available from TTK Pharma, Chennai, India) 3 times daily. Each capsule contained wild asparagus 200 mg, ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) 100 mg, fenugreek 50 mg, licorice 50 mg, and garlic 20 mg. By day 4 of therapy, no infants required supplementary feeding. Infants were weighed before and after each feeding on the fifth day of maternal therapy to determine the amount of milk ingested. On the day of the test weighing, infants' milk intake averaged 388 mL, and the fluid and caloric intake was considered adequate.[ 17 ] This study cannot be considered as valid evidence of a galactogogue effect of these herbs because it lacks randomization, blinding, a placebo control, and maternal instruction in breastfeeding technique. Additionally, infants were breastfed only 6 to 8 times daily, which is insufficient to maximize milk supply at this stage of lactation. Women who were between 14 and 90 days postpartum and reported lactation failure were given instructions on breastfeeding technique and encouraged to exclusively breastfeed. If their infants had gained less than 15 grams in 1 week, they were randomized to receive either two tablespoonfuls of a mixture containing wild a
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.