The Cautions and Contraindications of Chinese Herbal Medicine during Pregnancy

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness and worldwide acceptance of Chinese herbal medicine, and it is therefore important for medical professionals to understand the pharmacology involved. According to the literature of ancient Chinese medicine, cautions and contraindications are the major reasons why certain Chinese herbs should either not be used at all or should only be used with great caution during pregnancy. The first of these two categories involves medicinal substances such as toxic or extremely harsh substances that can cause problems for the fetus or even lead to miscarriage are absolutely forbidden, for instance, Croton tiglium (巴豆, Ba Dou), Radix Euphorbiae seu Knoxiae (大戢, Da Ji), Semen Persicae (桃仁, Tao Ren) and Flos Carthami Tinctorii (紅花, Hong Hua). The second category includes herbs that may be used during pregnancy, but should be prescribed with the greatest of caution due to their extremely hot properties that may strongly interfere with the components of body fluids or the circulation of Qi and blood within the mother's body, such as Radix Lateralis Aconiti (附子, Fu Zi) and Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis (乾薑, Gan Jiang). The latter group can be divided into the following sub-categories: (1) laxative herbs that stimulate or lubricate the large intestine; (2) herbs that invigorate the blood circulation, ease the menstruation and expel blood stasis; (3) herbs that strongly circulate Qi and break up Qi stagnation; (4) herbs that warm the interior body with pungent-hot properties and (5) others. This means that clinical practitioners need to take the possible adverse effects of medication into account when prescribing it to pregnant women, thereby preventing injury to the fetus, avoiding miscarriage, and thus ensuring the safe of both the mother and the fetus. These effects are discussed in this paper.