Herbs to Avoid While Nursing

This article is an excerpt from "The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver" byClaire Martin.

Q: I usually drink a lot of herbal tea, and I take herbal supplements for energy boost, but a friend told me that I shouldn't be drinking peppermint tea or taking gingko if I'm nursing. Why not?

A: Herbalists say that certain herbs, particularly those in the mint family, can diminish your milk supply. Some doctors and lactation consultants are skeptical about that claim, but they're also skeptical about the claim that herbs can boost your milk supply. Still, if you're having supply problems, and you typically use a lot of herbs in your diet, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Among the other milk-drying suspects: Aloe, alder buckthorn, barberry, cascara sagrada, gingseng, ephedra, ginger, goldenseal, green tea, guarana, kola nut, ma huang, male fern, parsley, purging buckthorn, rhubarb, sage, senna, wormwood, and yerba mate.