Is Mate leaf Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Mate leaf? Is Mate leaf safe for nursing mother and child? Does Mate leaf extracts into breast milk? Does Mate leaf has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Mate leaf influence milk supply or can Mate leaf decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Mate leaf lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Mate leaf is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Mate leaf is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Mate leaf does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Mate leaf safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher 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 Mate leaf usage in lactation
Tree, bush. The dried leaves in infusion (social consumption of mate) are used. Widely consumed in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Bolivia and Chile.It contains alkaloids, xanthines (caffeine 2%, 0.2% theobromine, theophylline 0.05%), tannins, flavonoids.Attributed properties are: mood stimulant, diuretic, bronchodilator, vasoconstrictor.Indication by the Commission E of the German Ministry of Health: physical and mental fatigue. It should not exceed the amount equivalent to 300 mg of caffeine a day (200 cc = 50-100 mg) during lactation. Average ingestion of Yerba mate by consumers is around 100-200 mg of caffeine a day, though it can reach 1 gram daily. It was published neonatal abstinence syndrome following chronic maternal consumption of mate. At last update, there were not found published data on excretion in breast milk but it is known that xanthines are excreted in breast milk; however and since there is no proof of their effectiveness as galactagogue, it seems prudent not to increase but instead moderate the intake during lactation.A best galactagogue is a frequent and on-demand breastfeeding together with a proper technique. Precautions with herbal teas:1. Make sure that you get them from reliable sources: poisoning may occur by a confusion with other plant which is toxic (Hsu 1995), poisoning from heavy metals and food poisoning due to contamination with bacteria or fungi.2. Avoid large doses. "Natural products” are not good by themselves in any amount: many plants contain active substances where from many pharmaceutical products of the traditional Phamacopeia have been obtained and hence may be a cause of poisoning if consumed in inappropriate quantity or duration.