Question

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root]? Is Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] safe for nursing mother and child? Does Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] extracts into breast milk? Does Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] influence milk supply or can Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Answer by DrLact: About Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] usage in lactation

Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] (Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root]coccus senticosus) is also known as Siberian ginseng, but it is not related to true ginseng and has different constituents. Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] contains Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root]sides--Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root]sides B (syringin) and E (syringaresinol) that are used to identify Siberian ginseng. Some other ingredients are acanthosides, phytosterols, triterpene saponins, dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol monopyranose, glycosides, 5'-O-caffeoylquinic acid isomers, glucopyranosides, and lignans. Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] has no specific uses during breastfeeding, but is most often used as an adaptogen (i.e., to increase endurance and improve memory). It is also used to boost immunity, and as an antimicrobial and chemoprotectant. However, no good human evidence supports any of these uses. No data exist on the safety and efficacy of Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] in nursing mothers or infants. In general, it is well tolerated. It may increase blood pressure, increase bleeding and increase blood sugar. Breast tenderness has been reported. Most sources recommend against the use of Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] during breastfeeding because of a lack of safety data.Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information #about dietary supplements# is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.

Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root] Side Effects in Breastfeeding

A mother who took a product labeled as "pure Siberian ginseng" during pregnancy and breastfeeding gave birth to a hirsute Caucasian infant with thick black pubic hair, hair on the whole forehead, swollen red nipples, and enlarged testes. The infant's serum testosterone, cortisol and 17-hydroxyprogesterone were within normal limits. After breastfeeding was stopped at 2 weeks of age, the excess hair began to fall out and was gone by 7.5 weeks of age.[1] Later analysis of the product found that it was not Ginseng, Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Extract [root]coccus, but the bark of the silk vine (Periploca sepium), possibly contaminated with some other unidentified product.[2][3]

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