Sage during pregnancy - benefits and contraindications

Pregnant women need to be wary of traditional medicine advice. Many herbs can cure a variety of diseases, but can also cause serious harm. This also applies to sage, an extremely popular medicinal plant. People evaluated the healing properties of sage several centuries ago. European doctors treated with it many internal and external diseases.

Types and chemical composition of sage

This medicinal plant belongs to the family Labiaceae, grows in the form of grass or shrub. About 700 species grow throughout the globe, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. About 80 species are known on the territory of our country, growing on dry mountain slopes. The most familiar to all of us is sage, nutmeg, sparkling, bright red. Many herbalists consider sage a panacea for a number of diseases. Active substances contained in the leaves have anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, astringent effects, positively affect the work of many body systems.

The popularity of the plant is due to its chemical composition.

Sage leaves contain:

• tannins;
• from 0.5 to 2% of essential oils;
• ursolic and oleanolic acids;
• alkaloids;
• volatile;
• flavonoids;
• folic and ascorbic acids;
• trace elements;
• mineral salts;
• vitamins K, PP, B6, B1, etc.

Sage Properties

This plant is cultivated to obtain from inflorescences the essential oil used in the alcoholic beverage, tobacco, confectionery and pharmaceutical industries. Sage helps to cure colds, replenish vitamins, strengthen immunity, and improve the digestive tract.

That is why the most popular decoctions and tinctures of sage received in medicine:

1. Sage leaves have an antibacterial effect, they are used to disinfect wounds, to treat diseases and skin irritations from a very young age.
2. Due to the anti-inflammatory properties, the decoction is used to rinse the sore throat and teeth.
3. The phytohormones contained in the leaves favorably affect the hormonal background of women, reduce inflammation of the organs of the female reproductive system. It is undesirable to use hormones in a woman’s body without a preliminary examination; preliminary consultation with a specialist is necessary.
4. Sage reduces lactation, it is used to force mild cessation of milk production if necessary.
5. Tincture of sage broth reduces sweating.
6. It has a general strengthening effect on the body, improves resistance to infections.
7. It has a hemostatic property.
8. Regulates the digestive system.
9. It has a diuretic effect and helps reduce swelling.
10. It has a mild sedative effect.
11. Relieves the patient's condition with respiratory diseases.

The benefits of using sage during pregnancy

During pregnancy, most expectant mothers try not to use pharmacy drugs, but replace them with folk remedies, for example, with such popular as sage broth. How justified is this?

In some cases, during the period of bearing the baby, you can use a decoction of sage with health benefits:

1. If you encounter a problem of varicose veins, your legs swell in the evening, do a bath before bedtime. To prepare the infusion, pour 4 tablespoons of dry leaves with two liters of boiled water.Keep the mixture under the lid for 30 minutes. Strain, transfer to a basin, hold your feet in the broth for 15–20 minutes.
2. For sore throats, it is useful to rinse your mouth with infusion. Pour one tablespoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water, wait 20 minutes, filter. Gargle with warm liquid several times a day.
3. It will ease your condition when coughing inhalation. During this procedure, the active components do not enter the circulatory system. A couple of spoons of grass pour a liter of boiling water, breathe this mixture through a funnel. You can use essential oil by adding a few drops to a glass of boiling water. The greatest therapeutic effect is observed when using an inhaler or nebulizer.
4. Inhalation of the aroma of essential oils relieves nervous tension, makes falling asleep easier. If you have an aroma lamp, drop a few drops of sage oil into it.
5. Broth can rinse your hair to give shine, wipe the inflamed or roughened skin.

If you have any doubts about the safety of this medicinal herb, consult your doctor. This will help you choose the right treatment tactics, eliminate the likelihood of individual intolerance.

Is sage dangerous during pregnancy?

Obstetrician-gynecologists do not recommend the use of sage during pregnancy, as it carries a specific danger to the woman and the unborn child. Despite the widespread use of infusions and decoctions of sage, it is necessary to use it during pregnancy with great care:

1. Sage leaves affect the concentration of hormones, can cause miscarriage.
2. It is necessary to take into account the functioning of the thyroid gland. If it is broken, sage can aggravate the situation.
3. Contraindications for the use of this medicinal plant are inflammatory processes in the kidneys - pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis.
4. Sage is contraindicated in dry cough. With a cold, accompanied by a wet cough, it facilitates the discharge of sputum.
5. The plant is able to increase blood pressure, with hypertension its use is prohibited.
6. Long (more than 3 months) intake of infusions and decoctions of sage is undesirable.
7. During pregnancy, it is recommended to use tinctures only externally.

Side effects

Some of the initially useful properties of sage for a pregnant woman become dangerous:

1. The main reason for the ban on the internal use of sage broth is its ability to reduce the concentration of progesterone and increase the level of the hormone estradiol. During pregnancy, this hormone is produced in increased quantities, its excessive concentration can lead to negative consequences, to a miscarriage in the first weeks of pregnancy.
2. Sage enhances the tone of the uterus, causes a reduction in its muscles. In the early stages, the use of grass can provoke a miscarriage. In the second trimester, the use of tinctures from sage is less dangerous, but it can be used only on the recommendation of the attending physician, in no case exceeding the dosage and duration of treatment. The closer the delivery period, the more dangerous the effect of sage on the body of the expectant mother and baby. If you use sage for internal use in the final trimester, this can lead to premature birth or detachment of the placenta.
3. The use of tinctures of this medicinal plant inside increases blood coagulation, which can trigger the formation of blood clots.
4. Violation of the blood supply to the expectant mother can cause a violation of the placental circulation, and, as a result, to an insufficient supply of oxygen and useful substances to the baby. This will delay the development of the fetus.

Avoid even throat lozenges containing this herb. When lozenges, tablets, lozenges are absorbed, the active substances enter the bloodstream.They can have a negative effect on the fetus.

Many do not take herbal medicine as seriously as pharmaceuticals. This is a big mistake. Gifts of nature often contain the same active ingredients as tablets. All herbs have contraindications and side effects.

Do not forget that a decoction of any herb, including sage, is a medicine. Before using it, consult your doctor for advice. Even after childbirth, try not to drink sage tincture, as this can lead to a decrease in the amount of breast milk, and even the termination of lactation.

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