Question

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Bee Plant? Is Bee Plant safe for nursing mother and child? Does Bee Plant extracts into breast milk? Does Bee Plant has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Bee Plant influence milk supply or can Bee Plant decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Bee Plant lactation summary

Bee Plant usage has low risk in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Bee Plant is 3 out of 8 which is considered Low Risk as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 3 indicates that usage of Bee Plant may cause some minor side effects in breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research indicates that Bee Plant may cause moderate to no side effects in lactating mother.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Bee Plant low risk in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
  • While using Bee Plant We suggest monitoring child for possible reactions. It is also important to understand that side effects vary largely based on age of breastfed child and time of medication in addition to dosage.
  • Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.

Answer by Dr. Ru: About Bee Plant usage in lactation

Native plant from the Mediterranean region which is used as food.
For medicinal uses the inflorescences, leaves, stems and the oil of its seeds have been used.

 The leaves contain traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are known to be carcinogenic and hepatotoxic. The seed oil which is very rich in unsaturated fatty acids: gamma-linolenic (GLA), linoleic and oleic, is free of toxics alkaloids. Only products extracted from borage that are free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids should be consumed.

 There is not enough evidence on the effectiveness of borage oil for topical treatment of eczema or arthritis (Cameron 2011, Bamford 2013).
 Indication of borage by Commission E of the German Ministry of Health: none.

 Mother’s diet supplementation with borage oil will increase GLA levels in breast milk (Thijs 2000). Preterm infants have been supplemented with borage oil as a source of GLA without side effects occurred (Demmelmair 2001, Fewtrell 2004).
A moderate and at short-term consumption of the oil is advised, since cases of severe intoxication have been reported. (Al-Khamees 2011).
Whenever used as food it is necessary be aware of it is a plant with a high content of nitrates with reported cases of methaemoglobinaemia in infants who were fed boiled mashed-borage, albeit this has not been described to occur through breastmilk (Martínez 2013).
Disclaimer: Information presented in this database is not meant as a substitute for professional judgment. You should consult your healthcare provider for breastfeeding advice related to your particular situation. We do not warrant or assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information on this Site.