Medicinal Plants in Pregnancy: A Brief Review of the Risks to Fetal Development
Ubirajara Lanza-Júnior1*, Maitê de Mello e Castro1, Candida Aparecida Leite Kassuya1, Fábio Morato de Oliveira2, Cátia Rezende3, Shafaq Nisar4
1Faculty of Health Sciences-Federal University of Grande Dourados-UFGD, Brazil.
2Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Federal University of Jataí-UFJ Brazil.
3Paulista University-Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
4Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Abstract
During fetal organogenesis, exposure to natural and/or synthetic chemical agents can have devastating effects on the developing fetus, including congenital malformations, embryotoxicity, and fetal death. Despite contraindications to the use of certain chemicals during pregnancy, many pregnant women use medicinal plants to alleviate unwanted symptoms inherent to the development of the gestational period, such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, among others. This practice is unfortunately supported by the false idea that the use of natural substances is incapable of causing harm to the health of the pregnant woman or the fetus. This study aims to systematically identify medicinal plants commonly used in South America and their secondary metabolites that may pose risks to fetal development if consumed during pregnancy. By investigating these plants and their secondary metabolites, we aim to improve the understanding of their potential embryotoxic effects and provide valuable insights for clinical practices related to herbal remedies during pregnancy. The search for articles was carried out in the databases PubMed (NCBI), Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scientific Online Electronic Library (SciELO), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online – MedLine (PubMed), Scientific Electronic Library – SciELO and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences – LILACS. Although the use of medicinal plants to relieve discomfort related to the development of pregnancy is an ancient practice, the use of the medicinal plants presented in this work should be avoided by pregnant women, as they are plants endowed with secondary metabolites that can cause embryotoxic, teratogenic and abortifacient effects.
Keywords: Pregnancy, medicinal plants, folk medicine, fetal malformations, fetal death
Full length article *Corresponding Author, e-mail: ubirajaralanzajunior@gmail.com, Tel: +551899678, doi# 10.71111/Science today/1-25-2-2-st-1