Ginseng alert

Vegetarian Times, March, 2004

Although more than 9 percent of pregnant women use herbal remedies--including ginseng--to cope with fatigue and physical stress, they might reconsider, say researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong Hospital in an article in the September 25, 2003 issue of Human Reproduction. In rodentian studies, a principal active component of ginseng called ginsenoside [Rb.sub.1] has caused fetal abnormalities.

"Before more information in humans becomes available," says lead researcher L.Y. Chan, MD, "women should be cautious about using ginseng in the first 3 months of pregnancy, and it is always advisable for pregnant women to consult their doctors before taking any herbal supplement."