• Herbs that stimulate uterine contractions: birthwort, blue cohosh, cinchona,
cotton root bark, ergot (as in commercial preparations for migraine
headaches), goldenseal, gotu kola, Peruvian bark.
• Herbs that stimulate menstrual flow: agave, angelica, bethroot, black cohosh,
chicory, feverfew (in flower), hyssop, horehound, lovage, milk this-tie,
mistletoe, motherwort, mugwort, nasturtium seed, osha, fresh parsley leaves
(especially placed vaginally), pennyroyal, poke root, pulsatilla, rue, saffron,
sumac berries, tansy, thuja (white cedar), watercress, wormwood, yarrow.
• Herbs high in volatile oils (which can stimulate or irritate the uterus):
eucalyptus, nutmeg, osha, yerba mansa, and the mint family members basil,
catnip, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, pennyroyal, rosemary,
true sage, and thyme. For the common culinary herbs, the concern lies with
the use of high doses in women susceptible to miscarriage, not with using
herbs to flavor food.
• Plants high in alkaloids (which can also stimulate the uterus): barberry, blood
root, broom, goldenseal, coffee, mandrake, tea.
• Herbs that affect hormonal function: dong quai, hops, licorice, motherwort,
wild yam.
• Harsh herbal laxatives: aloe, cascara sagrada, purging buckthorn, rhubarb,
senna, and yellow dock (in large amounts).
• Strong diuretics: juniper berries, uvaursi (bearberry).
Nutrition during Pregnancy
You need to stay well nourished for your own health and that of the child developing
within. When should you start to eat wisely? Now. Irwin Rosenberg, MD, director of
the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Center on Aging at Tufts
University, emphasizes that sound nutrition is important not only during pregnancy
but at the time of conception. Because the timing of conception is often
unpredictable, he says, "Ideally women ought to be maintaining good nutrition
throughout their childbearing years."
Should pregnant women take vitamin supplements? Generally, the best way to get
vitamins and minerals is by eating a varied diet of whole foods, one that includes an
abundance of grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, food herbs, nuts, seeds, and, if
you're not a vegetarian, dairy and lean meats.
Vitamins and minerals from foods tend to be well absorbed and assimilated, with
little risk of overdose. "Healthy food is, by far, more important than supplements,"
says Betsy Walker, MS, who teaches nutrition during pregnancy at the Seattle
Midwifery School. "If a woman is getting a very good quality diet, I don't think she
absolutely needs supplements. Women who are not receiving good nutritional
counseling should be taking a prenatal supplement." Because vitamins and minerals
extract easily into vinegar, Cox makes a cider vinegar extract of dandelion leaf,
nettles, parsley, burdock root, and violet leaf, which she adds to greens and grains
for extra nutrition.