Dandelion in pregnancy and breastfeeding
What the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the NIH, reports about dandelion — in their words, not ours.
What NCCIH says about safety
The use of dandelion in the amounts commonly found in food is considered likely safe. Less is known about the safety of taking dandelion in larger amounts. Some evidence suggests that topical dandelion may cause an allergic reaction in people who have atopic dermatitis (eczema). There is conflicting evidence about whether dandelion causes an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to related plants like ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies. There are theoretical reasons to suspect that dandelion might interact with antidiabetes, anticoagulant, antiplatelet, and water pill drugs, among others. If you take any type of medicine or supplements, talk with your health care provider before using dandelion or other herbal products; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use dandelion in amounts greater than those found in foods during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Quoted in full from NCCIH so nothing is lost in summarising. Where they say “little is known”, that means the studies do not exist — not that the herb is known to be safe, and not that it is known to be harmful.
How much is actually known
We know very little about dandelion’s effect on human health. Very little research exists on this herb.
What the research has found
There’s no compelling scientific evidence supporting the use of dandelion for any health condition. Preliminary laboratory studies have evaluated dandelion extracts for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties.
Before you take this
Dose and form change the answer completely. A culinary amount of a spice, a cup of tea, and a concentrated supplement extract are three different things, and most research is done on the last of them.
Supplements are also not regulated like medicines, so strength and purity vary between products. Bring the actual bottle to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist — that conversation is worth more than any page, including this one.
Show the evidence
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health. NCCIH states: “This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.” Read the original on nccih.nih.gov.
We reproduce their safety section whole rather than paraphrasing it, and add no verdict of our own.
Educational reference, not medical advice. Never start or stop a herb, supplement or medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding without checking with your own clinician.