Medicinal plants are not at all as harmless during pregnancy as it might seem at first glance, and therefore most of the plants included in the medicinal register are not recommended for expectant mothers due to the high risks of side effects. However, calendula, or marigolds, is a special plant; most expectant mothers are allowed to use it, but only on condition that the woman is careful and uses the rules.
Benefits for pregnant women
Even ancient doctors knew a lot about the healing properties of calendula. RAsthenia with cute flowers is a real powerful healer, saturated with resins and substances of antibacterial and antimicrobial action. In addition, the plant is rich in natural organic acids, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins and tannins. Presented in the plant and mineral compounds - iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper and potassium.
With this composition, it is considered that calendula has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, moderately relieves pain, soothes, heals wounds. Taking calendula inside stimulates the production of bile, helps to strengthen the immune system.
Pregnant women can use all the miraculous properties of the plant, but wisely. So, calendula will be justified if the expectant mother has stomatitis, periodontitis. In this case, you can rinse the oral cavity with a marigold-based product, and the sores will tighten faster and hurt less.
With calendula, the expectant mother can gargle with sore throat, pharyngitis. As a sedative, calendula will serve with increased anxiety, sleep disorders. The plant is widely used with herpes infection, arrhythmias, gastritis, peptic ulcer.
For women with high blood pressure, calendula can help bring blood pressure readings back to normal. Eye inflammation can be removed with drops based on marigolds, and for acne, wounds, burns and cuts, topical treatment with calendula will help disinfect the affected area and speed up its healing.
Calendula can be used to wipe your faceif, under the influence of pregnancy hormones, the condition of the skin and pores is disturbed. For acne and increased intense pigmentation, calendula ointment also helps. Pregnant women can enter suppositories for hemorrhoids, which include this plant, as well as wash off with an aqueous infusion of calendula to preserve a healthy microflora of the vagina and external genital organs.
How to apply correctly?
It is already clear that calendula can be used during pregnancy both outwardly and inwardly. Acceptable forms of tea with marigolds, broth, water infusion, ointment. But alcoholic tinctures of medicinal marigolds cannot be used by pregnant women due to the presence of ethyl alcohol in them.
In the early stages, in the first trimester, it is undesirable to ingest, drink water decoctions and infusions... During this period, the risks of spontaneous abortion are already increased. Especially it is necessary to refrain from ingesting the plant to women with a diagnosed threat of miscarriage, abnormal pathological discharge from the genital tract, hypertonicity of the uterus.
It is better to start taking tea with calendula from the second trimester. and only on condition that there are medical indications. Just like that, for prevention, the medicinal plant should not be taken. Before deciding on the use of such tea during pregnancy, you should consult with your doctor.
Tea is prepared from packaged sachets, which can be bought at a pharmacy, as well as from dry raw materials at the rate of a teaspoon of raw materials for half a liter of water.
With increased bleeding of the gums and stomatitis, it is better to rinse the mouth with broth. It is made in the proportion of a tablespoon of raw materials per glass of water. You can rinse your mouth every 2-3 hours until the painful symptoms disappear. To rinse the throat, prepare the same broth, only keep it for a quarter of an hour in a water bath.
For the treatment of wounds, acne, cuts, an infusion is prepared in a thermos - a tablespoon of raw materials is poured with a glass of boiling water and kept for about 2 hours. Then the product is filtered and cooled. Lotions are made on the sore spot.
Ointment can also be used externally.... It is bought either ready-made at any pharmacy, or they are made on their own. To do this, you will need half a glass of dried flowers, which are mixed with petroleum jelly and heated in a water bath. Cool the ointment. It is permissible to use it for varicose veins, rubbing into the legs, as well as for hemorrhoids, applying to the anus to prevent cracks.
Potential harm and contraindications
Calendula is considered an emmenagogue - a plant that is rich in phytoestrogens - plant substances, but identical to a woman's sex hormones. Therefore, calendula-based products are widely used for menstrual dysfunction. However, this property can be dangerous in the early stages, since it can lead to termination of pregnancy due to changes in hormonal levels.
If you apply calendula externally, then usually there are no negative consequences. Occasionally, with too frequent use, it is possible to dry the skin and local irritation.
It is not recommended to ingest calendula-based products at any stage of pregnancy for women with gallstone disease, since the bile-excreting effect of the plant can disrupt the static position of stones, which can become the cause of blockage of the excretory ducts.
Women with low blood pressure are not advised to take calendula because of the risk of an even greater drop in blood pressure, which can lead to severe dizziness, weakness, fainting, irregular heartbeats and nausea.
Any use of calendula, other than external, requires prior consultation with a doctor.
Doctors consider the following conditions to be absolute contraindications:
- diagnosed threat of miscarriage, as well as the presence of a threat in previous pregnancies;
- a history of premature birth or miscarriage;
- high allergic predisposition, aggravated allergic history;
- the presence of bradycardia, regardless of the reasons that caused it;
- hypotension.
It is not recommended for women to take calendula for acute ailments of the digestive system, as well as for exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal diseases.
To make sure that there is no individual intolerance to calendula, a skin test should be performed. The prepared infusion or ointment should be applied in a small amount to the back of the hand and the elbow. Assess the condition of the skin after an hour and a half. If there is no redness, itching, swelling at the site of application of the drug, you can use it as directed.
When deciding whether to be treated with traditional medicine during pregnancy, a woman should clearly understand that sometimes the possible harm from them does not exceed the benefits. Today there are a large number of pharmacy products, including plant-based ones, which are safer during the period of gestation, and your doctor will certainly advise one of them if he sees the need. Self-medication is categorically unacceptable.
