Thunder God Vine in pregnancy and breastfeeding

What NCCIH says about safety

In general, oral or topical thunder god vine seems to be well tolerated. Thunder god vine may have side effects, such as digestive problems, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, lowered white blood cell count, menstrual cycle changes, and skin redness. Adding thunder god vine to a conventional therapy might increase the risk of experiencing side effects, but some research disagrees. Serious side effects may include kidney damage and liver problems, among others. Rare deaths have been reported; these may be related to specific preparations of thunder god vine or high doses of the herb. Triptolide, a component found in thunder god vine, may be toxic in people. The use of thunder god vine during pregnancy is considered unsafe, as it may increase the risk of birth defects. Little is known about whether it’s safe to use thunder god vine 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

Many studies of low-to-moderate quality have been conducted on the safety and usefulness of oral thunder god vine for rheumatoid arthritis and some kidney disorders. We know enough to conclude that thunder god vine might have benefits for some health conditions. Some side effects of thunder god vine may be serious. Rare deaths related to its use have been reported.

What the research has found

Some reports suggest that oral thunder god vine might be beneficial for some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. For joint swelling and tenderness, thunder god vine plus a conventional medical therapy might be more effective than a conventional therapy alone. However, a combination of conventional therapies might also be more effective than thunder god vine plus a conventional therapy. It’s unclear whether topical thunder god vine has any effect on the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as joint tenderness, stiffness, and swelling. Initial reports have indicated that oral thunder god vine might be helpful for some kidney disorders, such as nephrotic syndrome or immunoglobulin A nephropathy. There isn’t enough reliable evidence to conclude whether thunder god vine is helpful for other health conditions.

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.