Ginkgo Biloba & Pregnancy

Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most potent herbs used in the market today. It's beneficial effects encompass a number of ailments and it is widely popular among many countries including Europe and Asia.

But Ginkgo Biloba has its side effects too. Pregnant and lactating women are prone to these side effects. Taking Ginkgo Biloba supplements while pregnant could be one aspect that requires caution. Ginkgo Biloba could produce possible side effects to the mother and even in nursing.

Ginkgo Biloba and pregnancy has been the subject of many controversial studies including the move to determine the effects of Ginkgo Biloba on pregnancy. For safety measures, pregnant and lactating women are generally advised to refrain from taking Ginkgo Biloba extracts. Safe dosage for use during pregnancy has not been established.

A controversial study was conducted recently and published in the September issue of Chemical Research in Toxicology. In the said study, scientists found that women taking Ginkgo Biloba supplements might have a substantial amount of colchicine- a toxic substance- present in their placental blood which in turn could affect fetus development. All five of the women under study showing significant colchicines toxic levels, (45 to 760 mcg/l), in their placenta, reported regular herbal supplement use including Ginkgo Biloba supplements, while the others reported little or no use of herbs.

It seemed from this study that pregnant women taking Ginkgo Biloba supplements could put their fetuses at risk of abnormal development. Claims about Ginkgo Biloba toxicity should be taken seriously and not be discounted because there is potential negative effects to the fetus development. But Gingko Biloba supplements could not possibly have caused the presence of colchicine in the placenta of these pregnant women since in the more than 50 years of study about Ginkgo Biloba products, colchicines was never identified as one of the components of Ginkgo Biloba.

Pregnancy risks caused by colchicines could not have been caused by using Ginkgo although Ginkgo Biloba supplements do contain a nontoxic substance that is identical to colchicines. The researchers, it seems, have not exerted enough effort to differentiate this nontoxic substance from that of colchicines.

Since nothing similar to the colchicine toxic levels have been reported from the millions of people using ginkgo, the result of this research on Ginkgo Biloba and pregnancy could not have been accurate. Ginkgo Biloba and pregnancy findings need further studies. Ginkgo Biloba supplements could not be the sole reason for the presence of colchicine.

Therefore, the report that Ginkgo Biloba is harmful and can cause birth defects is inconclusive aAlthough one cannot discount the possibility that potential problems could exist.

Despite the controversy caused by this study, Ginkgo Biloba could be safe. Unless proven, the researcher’s theory that Ginkgo Biloba is harmful to the fetus could not be verified. But due caution is recommended to pregnant women in taking any over-the-counter products including Ginkgo Biloba. Consulting a physician is always a wise move before using medications whether it is Ginkgo Biloba or anything else.