Is Berberis Vulgaris Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Berberis Vulgaris? Is Berberis Vulgaris safe for nursing mother and child? Does Berberis Vulgaris extracts into breast milk? Does Berberis Vulgaris has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Berberis Vulgaris influence milk supply or can Berberis Vulgaris decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Berberis Vulgaris lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Berberis Vulgaris is 7 out of 8 which is considered Dangerous as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 7 indicates that usage of Berberis Vulgaris may cause toxic or severe side effects in breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research indicates that Berberis Vulgaris may cause moderate to high side effects or may affect milk supply in lactating mother.
- Our suggestion is to use safer alternate options rather than using Berberis Vulgaris .
- Usage of Berberis Vulgaris is in contradiction to breastfeeding hence if it is must to use Berberis Vulgaris and there is no better alternative available then breastfeeding shall be stopped permanently or temporarily.
- 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 Berberis Vulgaris usage in lactation
Roots and bark are used. It contains Berberine that may be a cause of gastritis, nephritis, phototoxicity and severe jaundice by displacement of albumin -linked bilirubin: higher risk of kernicterus to newborns, which is greater in cases of 6-Glucose-PD deficiency. It is popularly widely used, however, its effectiveness has not been shown. Use not approved by the Commission E of German Ministry of Health. It should be avoided.