Chinese medicine that is prohibited during breastfeeding

Many women who have just become mothers will choose to breastfeed. However, many mothers will experience various physical discomforts during breastfeeding, such as postpartum lochia, postpartum breast obstruction, postpartum fever, cold and cough, etc. In order to avoid the adverse effects of drugs in breast milk on the baby's body, taking Chinese medicine is a good choice. It should be noted that there are some contraindicated Chinese medicines that must not be taken during the breastfeeding period.

1. Can I take Chinese medicine during breastfeeding?

The amount of medicine that the body absorbs when taking Chinese medicine is much less than that of chemically synthesized Western medicine. For example, the amount of berberine (also known as berberine) taken into the body by drinking a bowl of Coptis chinensis soup is definitely not as much as the amount of berberine taken from taking extracted or chemically synthesized "berberine hydrochloride tablets". Most literature reports that the drug content in breast milk is actually very low, not exceeding 1% of the maternal intake. Therefore, it is relatively safe for babies for breastfeeding mothers to take Chinese medicine, at least not as scary as imagined.

2. Breastfeeding mothers should never touch these Chinese medicinal herbs

Some toxic Chinese medicines are not suitable for pregnant women and postpartum women, such as arsenic, mercury, raw Strychnos nux vomica, raw Chuanwu, raw Caowu, raw White Aconitum, raw Aconitum, raw Pinellia, raw Arisaema, raw Croton, Cantharides, Green Snake, Red Snake, raw Gelsemium elegans, raw Wolfsbane, Garcinia, raw Qianjinzi, raw Xianxianzi, Wolfsbane, Artemisia annua, rouge, Baijiangdan, toad venom, light powder, realgar, datura, etc. It should be noted that the toxicity of some highly toxic herbs has been greatly reduced after processing and preparation, such as cooked aconite, processed white aconite, processed Chuanwu, processed Aconitum carmichaelii, Arisaema consanguineum, processed rhubarb, and processed Pinellia ternata. They can be used with caution when necessary. In addition, Chinese medicines such as fried malt, pepper, and Glauber's salt, and Western medicines such as levodopa, ergonovine, estrogen, vitamin B6, atropine, and diuretics can cause mothers to stop breastfeeding. Therefore, mothers should not take it easily during breastfeeding.

3. How to see a doctor and take medicine if a breastfeeding mother feels uncomfortable

1. For postpartum diseases, you must seek medical advice from a professional doctor. Whether it is the choice of medicine or the instructions on how to take the medicine, professional doctors (including Chinese medicine practitioners) will take breastfeeding factors into consideration first.

2. Try to breastfeed before taking Chinese medicine. If you drink it twice a day, try to breastfeed 3 hours after taking the medicine to avoid the peak of blood drug concentration. If your milk is severely swollen after taking the Chinese medicine, you can squeeze out this part of the milk and discard it.

3. For some uncertain Chinese medicines, you can consider taking them only once a day, before going to bed at night. On the night of taking the medicine, the baby should be fed with a bottle of milk powder.

4. Breastfeeding is not recommended during fever. Regardless of the disease, if the patient has a fever, it is recommended to suspend breastfeeding, such as acute mastitis.