Fenugreek and Breastmilk

by beba | Nov 17, 2009 | Random Stuff | 5 comments

Fenugreek or Halba in Malay

Macam yang pernah aku ceritakan..aku ade beli fenugreek pills baru-baru ni. Ada la nak dekat seminggu da kot aku makan pills ni..and alhamdulillah takde side effects pon either pada aku or pada Alif..tapi aku boleh nampak ada increased in my breastmilk production. Dah tak ala2 kais pagi makan petang lagi laa… 😀

Tapi tak semua orang sesuai ngan Fenugreek Pills ni.

Korang samada guna dengan berhati-hati (dengan nasihat en.doctor) atau pon avoid sama sekali kalau korang pernah kena atau ada:

• Peanut or chickpea allergy: Fenugreek is in the same family with peanuts and chickpeas, and may cause an allergic reaction in moms who are allergic to these things.
• Diabetes or hypoglycemia: Fenugreek reduces blood glucose levels, and in the few studies using it as a hypoglycemic, also reduces blood cholesterol. Dosages higher than the recommended one may result in hypoglycemia in some mothers [Heller]. If you’re diabetic (IDDM), use fenugreek only if you have good control of your blood glucose levels. While taking this, closely monitor your fasting levels and post-prandial (after meals) levels. Mothers with hypoglycemia should also use fenugreek with caution.
• Asthma: Fenugreek is often cited as a natural remedy for asthma. However, inhalation of the powder can cause asthma and allergic symptoms. Some mothers have reported that it worsened their asthma symptoms. [Dugue 1993, Huggins, Lawrence 1999].
• Abnormal menstrual cycles: Fenugreek is considered to be an emmenagogue (promotes menstrual flow). Per [White], it may cause breakthrough menstrual bleeding; this source recommends using fenugreek with caution if you have a history of abnormal menstrual cycles.
• Migraines: Fenugreek is often cited as a natural remedy for migraines. However, [White] indicates that it may trigger a migraine and/or contribute to the duration and severity of a migraine.
• Blood pressure problems or heart disease: Fenugreek is commonly reported to lower blood pressure and LDL blood cholesterol levels. [White] indicates, however, that it may cause or contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure) – this source recommends avoiding this herb if you have a history of hypertension, or if there is a strong family history of hypertension or heart disease.

Then few possible side effects yg maybe akan jadi bile korang amik Fenugreek Pills ni:

• Sweat and urine smells like maple syrup; milk and/or breastfed baby may smell like maple syrup.
• Occasionally causes loose stools, which go away when fenugreek is discontinued.
• Use of more than 100 grams of fenugreek seeds daily can cause intestinal distress and nausea (recommended dose is less than 8 grams per day).
• Repeated external applications can result in undesirable skin reactions [Wichtl 1994].
• Ingestion of fenugreek seeds or tea in infants or late-term pregnant women can lead to false diagnosis of maple syrup urine disease in the infant due to presence of sotolone in the urine. See [Korman 2001] and other studies on fenugreek and maple syrup urine smell.

For more details on fenugreek, korang boleh tengok kat sini.