Oregano is a medicinal plant that has many beneficial properties. However, with the onset of pregnancy, taking medicinal plants requires a woman to be as careful as taking pharmaceutical medications. Therefore, the question of the permissibility of oregano during pregnancy is not as simple as it seems at first glance.
Benefits and acceptability for pregnant women
Oregano or oregano is a plant with an amazing subtle scent that makes this plant a wonderful spice. In folk medicine, the plant is used not only in dried form, but also in the form of infusions, decoctions, tea. Also for the treatment of skin ailments, essential oil is used, which is obtained from the plant industrially.
Tea with oregano is not only tasty, but also healthy, since the drink is enriched with ascorbic acid and phenol. It has a general relaxing effect, allowing a person to calm down, find inner harmony, and improve sleep.
Oregano reduces convulsive activity, reduces blood pressure, which is important for patients prone to arterial hypertension.
Oregano drinks recommended for diseases of the stomach, liver and intestinal problems. You can use the plant to combat respiratory ailments, for colds, coughs, runny nose.
However, all the beneficial properties we have described are relevant only for non-pregnant women. In the early stages, the use of oregano is prohibited for all expectant mothers without exception. And in the second and third trimester, the feasibility of using the plant should be discussed with the attending physician.
For external use of the product for cosmetic purposes, the prohibition during pregnancy does not apply, and a woman can use this herb at her discretion.
Potential harm
Why is oregano dangerous for pregnant women? The answer to this question lies in the chemical composition of the leaves and flowers of the plant. Oregano has another name that few people know about - motherboard. Due to the large amount of phytoestrogens, which are plant analogs of human sex hormones, the herb can cause increased tone of the uterine muscles and lead to miscarriage. This property of oregano has been familiar for a long time, and in Russia, women who did not want to give birth, specially drank a strong infusion of oregano, hoping for a miscarriage. This is often how it ended.
Oregano is categorically contraindicated for pregnant women at any gestational age, if there is a threat of miscarriage or premature birth. Moreover, they should avoid not only decoctions, infusions and tea, but also dry oregano seasoning when preparing the first and second courses.
In some cases, unreasonable external use can also cause a miscarriage, and therefore it is impossible to violate the requirements of the instructions either in the 1st, or in the 2nd, or in the 3rd trimester.
How to apply correctly
As we already know, pregnant women can only use oregano externally. Wherein it is not recommended to rub products containing oregano too deep into the skin, and face masks with oregano extract - not the best choice while waiting for a baby.
However, decoctions and water infusions of oregano can be used to keep the skin clean. If you wash your face with a decoction, you can quickly get rid of boils, acne and pustules, which in some women appear especially brightly against the background of pregnancy.
It's believed that washing with a decoction of oregano helps to reduce headaches, reduces the frequency of migraine attacks, and if you rinse your hair in broth after washing, then the condition of the hair will become noticeably better, and they will acquire a healthy look.
The grass has pronounced antibacterial effect, it can be used to rinse the mouth with periodontal disease, stomatitis. Sometimes doctors, if a woman is not in the early stages of pregnancy, are allowed to gargle with decoction in case of sore throat.
The essential oil should be used with caution in aromatherapy. Moderate inhalation of it is believed to boost immunity and help the female body to better resist viral and bacterial threats.
A pillow with the addition of oregano will help improve sleep, improve mood and better deal with stress. It can be placed at the head of the bed or attached side by side.
For cosmetic use, a woman should apply the following proportions of infusion or decoction - for two tablespoons of herbal plant materials, there should be about a glass of boiling water. The product is infused, filtered and used to wash or rinse hair. Foot baths can be done to help women who suffer from excessive sweating of the feet.
Precautionary measures
If a woman, when using oregano externally, noticed that she had itchy skin, dandruff, skin redness, signs of seborrhea, swelling of the skin, you should immediately abandon further use and consult a doctor.
In cases where a woman at a later date, the doctor permits rinsing her mouth or throat with such a decoction or infusion, care should be taken to ensure that the product does not enter the stomach or be swallowed.
Manufactured essential oil most commonly during pregnancy causes allergies, and therefore its use should be minimized, even for aromatherapy sessions.
Important! After childbirth, oregano, on the contrary, refers to the recommended means for improving lactation, and a woman, in the absence of an individual allergy to the plant, will be able to drink tea with her without fear that the plant will harm her or the child.
