Aromatherapy & Pregnancy - What to Avoid

    I recently wrote some basic advice about using aromatherapy during pregnancy. From the comments I received it was clear that this is a subject that concerns a lot of people. So I thought it might be useful to expand on my previous advice.   This is potentially a very big subject! So for this article I would like to concentrate on the essential oils NOT to use during pregnancy.   Essential oils listed as “Not to use in Pregnancy” fall into 3 basic groups –  

1.               Oils which are toxic or otherwise dangerous and should be avoided at all times, even when not pregnant. These include bitter almond, arnica, boldo, broom, buchu, calamus, brown & yellow camphor, cassia, chervil, cinnamon bark, costus, deertongue, elecampane, bitter fennel, horseradish, jaborandi, melitotus, mugwort, mustard, oregano, pennyroyal, dwarf pine, rue, common sage, santolina, sassafras, savin, southernwood, savory, tansy, thuja, tonka, wintergreen, wormseed, wormwood.
   
2.               Other oils which require caution for anyone using them (again not just during pregnancy) include ajowan, aniseed and star anise, some types of basil, bay, white camphor, carrot seed, some types of cedarwood, cinnamon leaf, clove (leaf and bud), coriander, cumin, eucalyptus, sweet fennel, hops, hyssop, juniper, lemongrass, nutmeg, parsley, black pepper, spanish sage, Tagetes, tarragon, thyme, tuberose, turmeric, turpentine, valerian.
   
3.               Commonly used oils which are normally safe but may have adverse effects when pregnant. These include angelica, basil, birch, calamintha, cedarwood, celery seed, citronella, clary sage, cypress, jasmine, labdanum, lovage, marjoram, Melissa, myrrh, nutmeg, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, yarrow.
   
   In addition there are some oils which are usually to be avoided in the first trimester, particularly if there is a history or known risk or miscarriage, such as roman chamomile, geranium, lavender and rose.

The first category should always be avoided. But in the main are not readily available anyway. Those in the second catagory should only be considered under the advice of a professionally qualified aromatherapist and generally in very limited amounts and/or for a limited period of time.   But why do the oils in the third catagory become a problem during pregnancy? Well, some of these oils are emmenogogues and have a stimulating effect on the uterus. Whilst this can be useful for menstrual problems, it is not something you want when you are pregnant! Some oils may affect the hormones or have too strong an effect on a particular organ or system of the body. We also do not yet know to what extent oils used by the mother may affect the developing foetus, so any oils which may be too strong for the child should also be avoided. So there are a number of essential oils that should be avoided, for varying reasons. But that does not mean that ALL essential oils must be avoided. Under the guidance of a qualified aromatherapist, great benefits can be gained by using some essential oils during pregnancy. For more on this subject or to read other articles about aromatherapy visit www.essenceofwellbeing.com.au. Wendy Mackay MIFA