It seems timely to repost this to ths list at this time, this is a reply I receieved from Ruth in November when I e mailed her about this article. Cindy _______________________- Thought that you all would be interested in the reply I received directly from Dr Ruth Lawrence in response to her recent article that we have discussed . My original post to her is also included in this message as well as her article. Cindy To: "'Cindy Curtis, RN, IBCLC'" cindyrn@e... Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 2:08 PM Subject: RE: recent article with quotes from you. > Dear Ms. Curtis: > > My presentation on herbs and herbal teas was reported far and wide and not > always accurately. Thanks for including the one you saw. > > I did not include Fenugreek on the list of dangerous herbs. I did discuss > it extensively. There are no placebo controlled trials reported. Cross > allergies to peanuts and chick peas are important. Other effects are > lowering blood sugar and colic in the infant to mention a few. It should > be carefully studied in a placebo controlled trial with blood sugar > determinations before it is promoted as a galactogue. > > Ruth Lawrence, MD > > > ---------- > > From: Cindy Curtis, RN, IBCLC[SMTP:cindyrn@e...] > > Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2000 5:43 PM > > To: Lawrence, Ruth > > Subject: recent article with quotes from you. > > > > Dear Dr. Lawrence, > > > > I am an RN and IBCLC. The following article has been of great debate and > > topic in the lactation internet communities. I am curious as to why you > > say > > that Fenugreek should be avoided by breastfeeding moms. I am sure that you > > are aware of its widespread use for increasing milk production in nursing > > moms. I am not speaking specifically of teas, but fenugreek capsules. I > > have dozens of surveys filled out by nursing moms that have been taking it > > with little or no side effect even in doses up to 5,000 mg per day. I am > > very interested in this herb and have been collecting surveys for some > > months now. I would appreciate your insights and thoughts specifically on > > Fenugreek capsules for nursing moms. Also, I would like permission to > > share > > your information with my Lactation colleagues. Thank you for your time! > > > > Cindy > > > > ~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~** > > Cindy Curtis, RN, IBCLC > > mailto:cindyrn@e... > > http://www.breastfeedingonline.com > > > > > > Herbal Teas: Risky for Nursing Moms and Babies? > > > > Dr. Ruth Lawrence of the University of Rochester > > warned pediatricians at a recent meeting of The > > American Academy of Pediatrics, that some herbal teas > > may be unsafe for nursing moms and their babies. She > > noted that even some herbal teas touted as breastmilk > > stimulants, may contain toxic ingredients. While some > > herb teas are fine to be drinking, a nursing mother > > needs to pay close attention to the ingredients in > > order to avoid those which may cause harm to her baby > > or reduce milk supply. The younger the infant, > > the greater the potential risk. An older child, for > > whom breastmilk is only part of their diet, is at less > > risk than an exclusively breastfed baby. > > > > Certain herbal teas appear to be safe, including those > > containing mint, orange spice, rose hips, ginger, > > lemon grass oil and evening primrose. Herbs to avoid > > include fennel, borage, comfrey leaf, sage and > > fenugreek. > > > > > > ~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~** Cindy Curtis, RN, IBCLC mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.breastfeedingonline.com *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html