Using Essential Oils Safely During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Lea Harris Jacobson, Certified Clinical Aromatherapist

A frequently asked question we get in our safety group is about using essential oils during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This post will give you the information you need to know so that you can safely use essential oils during these special times.

Before we go over the lists of essential oils to avoid, and why, let's take a peek into why there is caution needed.

Pregnancy Notes

When a woman is pregnant, the first trimester is considered the most delicate stage. Midwives and doctors may caution us about the foods we consume, the cleaning products we use, and the skin care products we apply to our skin.

Aromatherapists are also concerned with these first several weeks, when toxicity can manifest as structural defects. It is wise to use caution throughout the entire pregnancy, as functional defects can evolve even during later stages of development.

When it comes to crossing the placenta, we know that in varying amounts prescription drugs, nicotine, and heavy metals have been detected in the fetal environment. Essential oils are just the right molecular size to make this journey as well.

We use caution when using essential oils around babies out of the womb, and just as much caution needs to be considered while the baby is still inside a mother's body, doing its job of growing.

Breastfeeding Notes

Everything a woman consumes can get into her breastmilk – at least to some degree. We know that even the foods we consume can affect the flavor of breastmilk. Moms to gassy or colicky babies may be asked to adjust their diet so their baby can better metabolize the breastmilk.

The amounts may vary, but it is presumed that less than 1% of essential oils get into breastmilk. Unless ingesting, the general, safe use of essential oils while breastfeeding should not present an issue for your baby.

By the way…

There are some essential oils which should not be used by anyone – pregnant, breastfeeding or not. You can find that list here: Essential Oils to Avoid Using Internally and Externally.

What is the harm of using essential oils if pregnant or breastfeeding?

Some essential oils should be avoided during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding (lactation) due to a variety of reasons. These reasons are one or more of the following:

toxic
carcinogenic – causes cancer
hepatotoxic – toxic to the liver
nephrotoxic – toxic to the kidneys
*abortifacient – causes abortion/terminates pregnancy
*embryotoxic – toxic to the growing baby (specifically in the first 8 weeks of gestation)
*fetotoxic – toxic to the growing baby
*teratogenic – ability to cause malformations in a growing baby

*it could be argued that these are only a risk if using while pregnant, not breastfeeding. I leave that decision up to you.

Essential Oils to Avoid Using During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

The following essential oils should not be used internally, topically, or inhaled.

Anise Pimpinella anisum carcinogenic, reproductive hormone modulator

Anise (Star) Illicium verum carcinogenic, reproductive hormone modulator

Araucaria Neocallitropsis pancheri fetotoxic

Artemisia Artemisia vestita neurotoxic

Atractylis Atractylylodes lancea fetotoxic

Birch (Sweet) Betula lenta toxic, teratogenic

Black Seed Nigella sativa fetotoxic

Buchu Agathosma betulina ct. diosphenol hepatotoxic

Buchu Agathosma crenulata ct. pulegone abortifacient,
hepatotoxic

Calamint (lesser) Calamintha nepeta abortifacient,
hepatotoxic

Carrot Seed Daucus carota, Daucus carota subspecies sativa may interfere with gestation

Cassia Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum embryotoxic

Chaste Tree Vitex ugnus castusreproductive hormone modulator

Cinnamon Bark Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum embryotoxic

Costus Saussurea costus fetotoxic

Cypress (Blue) Calitris intratopica fetotoxic

Dill Seed (Indian) Anethum graveolens abortifacient, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic

Fennel (Bitter) Foeniculum vulgare carcinogenic, reproductive hormone modulator

Fennel (Sweet) Foeniculum vulgare carcinogenic, reproductive hormone modulator

Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium neurotoxic

Genipi Artemisia genepi neurotoxic

Hibawood Thujopsis dolobratta toxic (reproductive)

Ho Leaf/Ravintsara Cinnamomum camphora neurotoxic

Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis carcinogenic, neurotoxic

Lanyana Citrus aurantifolia neurotoxic

Lavender (Spanish) Lavandula stoechas neurotoxic

Mugwort (common) Artemisia vulgaris chemotypes camphor, thujone neurotoxic

Mugwort (common) Artemisia vulgaris chemotypes chrysanthenyl, acetateneurotoxic

Mugwort (great) Artemesia aborescens neurotoxic

Myrrh Commiphora myrrha,Cammiphora molmol fetotoxic

Myrtle (aniseed) Backhousia anisata carcinogenic, reproductive hormone modulator

Oregano Origanum vulgare, Origanium onitesembryotoxic

Parsley Leaf Petroslinum sativum, Petroseliunum crispum abortifacient, toxic

Parsley Seed Petroslinum sativum, Petroseliunum crispum
abortifacient, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic

Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium, Hedeoma pulegioides, Micromeria fruiticosa hepatotoxic, neurotoxic

Rue Ruta graveolens abortifacient

Sage (Dalmatian) Salvia officinalis neurotoxic

Sage (Spanish) Salvia lavandulaefolia abortifacient

Savin Juniperus sabina abortifacient, embryotoxic, fetotoxic, hepatotoxic

Tarragon Tanacetum vulgare neurotoxic

Thuja Thuja occidentalis neurotoxic

Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata neurotoxic

Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens,Gaultheria fragrantissima toxic, teratogenic

Wormwood Artemisia absinthium abortifacient, embryotoxic, fetotoxic, neurotoxic

Wormwood (Sea) Artemisia martima neurotoxic

Wormwood (White) Artemisia herba-alba neurotoxic

Yarrow (Green) Achillea nobilis abortifacient

Zeodary Curcuma sedoria may interfere with gestation

Essential Oils to Use With Caution During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

These are the essential oils which can be used if diluted as shown below. Using more than the max dilution can risk teratogenicity (deformities in a growing baby). Definitely do not use these essential oils internally. Inhaling/diffusing is OK.

To learn more about diluting read: Diluting Essential Oils Safely – safe dilution guidelines for all ages

Essential Oil Latin Name Max Dilution

Basil (Lemon) Ocimum x citriodorum 1.4%

Champaca (Orange) Absolute Michelia champaca 17.5%

Frankincense Boswellia papyrifera 1.7%

Lemon Balm (Australian) Eucalyptus staigeriana 3.4%

Lemon Leaf Citrus x limon 1.2%

Lemongrass Cymbopogon flexuosus 0.7%

Litsea (May Chang) Litsea cubeba, Litsea citriata,
Laurus cubeba 0.8%

Melissa Melissa officinalis 0.9%

Myrtle (Honey) Melaleuca teretifolia 0.9%

Myrtle (Lemon) Backhousia citriodora 0.7%

Nastrurtium Absolute Tropaeolum majus 0.26%

Tea Tree (lemon-scented) Leptospermum petersonii 0.8%

Thyme (Lemon) Thymus x citriodorus 3.7%

Verbena (Lemon) Aloysia triphylla 0.9%

Where do you come up with this stuff?

There are no ongoing studies which use pregnant or breastfeeding women to test which products are safe for use during pregnancy. That wouldn't be ethical. However, there have been cases of accidental over-dose and misuse. These results, coupled with data received from animals studies, can give us a good idea if a product is harmful for human use.

It is expected that if an essential oil or constituent cause harm during animal studies, that the essential oil has a strong potential for causing harm to a human baby, too.

You can find lots of research on PubMed.com and in Essential Oil Safety.

The Good News

The good news is there are a lot of essential oils that you can safely use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some of those include:

Amyris
Bergamot
Blue Tansy
Cedarwood (Atlas, Himalayan)
Chamomile (German, Roman)
Cinnamon Leaf
Citronella
Clary Sage
Coffee
Cypress
Elemi
Eucalyptus
Frankincense (carterii/sacra, frereana, serrata)
Geranium
Ginger
Helichrysum
Jasmine
Lavender (Bulgarian, French)
Lemon
Lemon Eucalyptus
Lime
Mandarin
Neroli
Orange (Sweet)
Patchouli
Pepper (Black)
Petitgrain
Pine
Rosalina
Rose
Rosemary
Rosewood
Sandalwood (Australian)
Spearmint
Spikenard
Spruce
Tangerine
Tea Tree
Turmeric
Valerian
Vanilla
Vetiver
Ylang Ylang

There are others that are OK to use as well. If you are not sure, do your research.

Peppermint…

Is Peppermint essential oil safe for use during pregnancy? Yes. Is it safe for use during breastfeeding? Yes – but there's a catch…

Some women…some…may find that Peppermint essential oil decreases their milk supply.

For most women it is probably fine to diffuse and even use topically. As long as there isn't a topical application to the chest, there probably won't be a dip in milk supply.

This is the only caution with Peppermint (possible decreased milk supply). And again, many women don't find it affects their milk supply at all.

But for the teeny percentage of you this may affect…consider yourself cautioned 🙂

Listen to an interview of Lea Harris on the topics of Essential Oils and Breastfeeding

May 16, 2016
Essential Oils and Breastfeeding: Stop, Look and Listen to be Safe!

“Essential oils are growing in popularity and availability. As with anything, it’s important to find out what’s safe, what’s unsafe, and how you can know the difference. Join Marie and special guest certified clinical aromatherapist Lea Harris for a discussion of essential oils during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as with young children. Find out who can use oils? Why? How should they be used, and when should they be avoided?”

June 6, 2016
Part 2: The Nursing Mother's Quick Guide to Essential Oils that Actually Work

“This is the 2nd part of Marie Biancuzzo's “Born to be Breastfed” Essential Oil series with Lea Harris, Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. The issues they discuss are milk supply, thrush, sore nipples, sleep issues, cramps, & hemorrhoids. They discuss using EO's & hydrosols during pregnancy & breastfeeding, EO shelf life, ingestion, diluting & finding credible information. Some of the EO's they talk about are thieves type blends, fennel, clary sage, basil, myrrh, dill seed, cinnamon bark, peppermint, & wintergreen.”