Safe Essential Oils for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

When a woman is pregnant, she is often advised by a doctor to be extra cautious with her food and drug intake as well as cosmetic products applied to the skin. It is because during pregnancy, whatever the mother takes internally or externally could reach the fetus through the placenta. The same is also true for breastfeeding mothers. The mother’s daily diet can affect the nutritional content of the breast milk.

It is no wonder that women often ask if it is safe to use essential oils while pregnant or breastfeeding. The primary concern comes from the fact that essential oil constituents (chemical compounds) can enter a mother’s bloodstream and can eventually reach the fetus or affect breast milk production. Some essential oil constituents are believed to be:

Fetotoxic – can have toxic effect to the developing fetus

Teratogenic – can cause congenital malformation (birth defect)

Emmenagogue – can stimulate menstruation (which can abort pregnancy)

The following table lists essential oils that should be avoided throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. These essential oils contain chemical compounds that are either fetotoxic, teratogenic or emmenagogue.

ESSENTIAL OIL	LATIN NAME
Anise	Pimpinella anisum
Anise (Star)	Illicium verum
Araucaria	Neocallitropsis pancheri
Artemisia	Artemisia vestita
Atractylis	Atractylylodes lancea
Birch (Sweet)	Betula lenta
Black Seed	Nigella sativa
Buchu	Agathosma betulina ct. diosphenol
Buchu	Agathosma crenulata ct. pulegone
Calamint (lesser)	Calamintha nepeta
Carrot Seed	Daucus carota, Daucus carota subspecies sativa
Cassia	Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum
Chaste Tree	Vitex ugnus castus
Cinnamon Bark	Cinnamomum verum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum
Costus	Saussurea costus
Cypress (Blue)	Calitris intratopica
Dill Seed (Indian)	Anethum graveolens
Fennel (Bitter)	Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel (Sweet)	Foeniculum vulgare
Feverfew	Tanacetum parthenium
Genipi	Artemisia genepi
Hibawood	Thujopsis dolobratta
Ho Leaf	Cinnamomum camphora
Hyssop	Hyssopus officinalis
Lanyana	Citrus aurantifolia
Lavender (Spanish) **	Lavandula stoechas
Mugwort (common)	Artemisia vulgaris chemotypes camphor, thujone
Mugwort (common)	Artemisia vulgaris chemotypes chrysanthenyl, acetate
Mugwort (great)	Artemesia aborescens
Myrrh	Commiphora myrrha, Cammiphora molmol
Myrtle (aniseed)	Backhousia anisata
Oregano	Origanum vulgare, Origanium onites
Parsley Leaf	Petroslinum sativum, Petroseliunum crispum
Parsley Seed	Petroslinum sativum, Petroseliunum crispum
Pennyroyal	Mentha pulegium, Hedeoma pulegioides, Micromeria fruiticosa
Rue	Ruta graveolens
Sage (Dalmatian)	Salvia officinalis
Sage (Spanish)	Salvia lavandulaefolia
Savin	Juniperus sabina
Tarragon	Tanacetum vulgare
Thuja	Thuja occidentalis
Western Red Cedar	Thuja plicata
Wintergreen	Gaultheria procumbens, Gaultheria fragrantissima
Wormwood	Artemisia absinthium
Wormwood (Sea)	Artemisia martima
Wormwood (White)	Artemisia herba-alba
Yarrow (Green)	Achillea nobilis
Zeodary	Curcuma sedoria

Table Source: Tisserand & Young, 2014, p. 160 – 161

** Take note that English Lavender or True Lavender, with a Latin name of Lavandula angustifolia, is safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The following table lists essential oils that can be used safely as long as the maximum dermal limit is followed when applied topically (on skin). These essential oils can also be safely used via inhalation and diffusion.

ESSENTIAL OIL	LATIN NAME	MAX. DERMAL USE LEVEL
Basil (Lemon)	Ocimum x citriodorum	1.4%
Champaca (Orange) Absolute	Michelia champaca	17.5%
Frankincense (Sudanese)	Boswellia papyrifera	1.7%
Lemon Balm (Australian)	Eucalyptus staigeriana	3.4%
Lemon Leaf	Citrus x limon	1.2%
Lemongrass	Cymbopogon flexuosus	0.7%
May Chang	Litsea cubeba, Litsea citriata, Laurus cubeba	0.8%
Melissa	Melissa officinalis	0.9%
Myrtle (Honey)	Melaleuca teretifolia	0.9%
Myrtle (Lemon)	Backhousia citriodora	0.7%
Nastrurtium Absolute	Tropaeolum majus	0.26%
Tea Tree (lemon-scented)	Leptospermum petersonii	0.8%
Thyme (Lemon)	Thymus x citriodorus	3.7%
Verbena (Lemon)	Aloysia triphylla	0.9%

Table Source: Tisserand & Young, 2014, p. 164

The following table lists essential oils that you can safely use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

ESSENTIAL OIL	LATIN NAME
Amyris	Amyris balsamifera
Balsam Fir	Abies balsamea
Bergamot	Citrus bergamia
Black Pepper	Piper nigrum
Blue Tansy	Tanacetum annuum
Cedarwood (Atlantica, Himalayan, Virginian)	Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus deodara, Juniperus virginiana
Chamomile (German, Roman)	Matricaria chamomilla, Chamaemelum nobile
Citronella	Cymbopogon winterianus
Clary Sage *	Salvia sclarea
Copaiba Balsam	Copaifera officinalis
Coriander	Coriandrum sativum
Cypress	Cupressus sempervirens
Dill Weed	Anethum graveolens
Eucalyptus Globulus **	Eucalyptus globulus
Fir Needle	Abies sibirica
Fragonia	Agonis fragrans
Frankincense (Carteri, Frereana)	Boswellia carteri, Boswellia frereana
Geranium (Bourbon, Egyptian)	Pelargonium x asperum
Grapefruit	Citrus x paradisi
Helichrysum (Italicum, Splendidum)	Helichrysum italicum, Helichrysum splendidum
Juniper Berry	Juniperus communis
Lavandin	Lavandula x intermedia
Lavender (English)	Lavandula angustifolia
Lemon	Citrus x limon
Lemon Eucalyptus	Corymbia citriodora
Mandarin	Citrus reticulata
Marjoram	Origanum majorana
Neroli	Citrus x aurantium
Orange (Sweet)	Citrus sinensis
Orange (Blood)	Citrus sinensis
Palmarosa	Cymbopogon martini
Patchouli	Pogostemon cablin
Petitgrain	Citrus x aurantium
Pine	Pinus sylvestris
Rosalina	Melaleuca ericifolia
Rosemary **	Rosmarinus officinalis
Sandalwood	Santalum spicatum
Spearmint	Mentha spicata
Spruce	Picea mariana
Tangerine	Citrus reticulata
Tea Tree	Melaleuca alternifolia
Vetiver	Vetiveria zizanioides

*    Safe for breastfeeding but not for pregnancy
** Safe for pregnancy but not for breastfeeding

Tips for Safely Using Essential Oils during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

1. While pregnant or breastfeeding, it is not recommended to ingest any essential oils (even those that are considered safe).

2. Diffusion and steam inhalation are safe method of using essential oils while pregnant or breastfeeding. However, it is best to only diffuse or inhale essential oils “when it’s really needed” (e.g. to beat morning sickness). Also, diffusing essential oils should not be more than 1 hour in a day.

3. When using pregnancy and breastfeeding safe essential oils for dermal application, the safe dosing should not be more than 1% dilution (less is better).

1% Dilution
5 ml (1 tsp carrier oil)	1 drop
10 ml (2 tsp carrier oil)	3 drops
15 ml (3 tsp carrier oil)	4 drops
30 ml (6 tsp carrier oil)	9 drops

4. Avoid using any essential oils during the critical first trimester of the pregnancy.

5. If your pregnancy is considered “high risk”, it is best idea to consult first a medical professional or a certified aromatherapist before using any essential oils.

6. Always read the Latin name (botanical name) indicated on the essential oil bottles. This is important due to the fact that some essential oils with same common name but different botanical name might not have the same safety issues. For example, Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is not safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding while Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is safe.

In summary, one must be extra cautious when using certain essential oils while pregnant or breastfeeding as they could either affect the fetus or diminish breast milk supply. There are a couple of essential oils that can be safely used as long as safe dilution rate is followed (for dermal application). When in doubt, always consult first a doctor or a certified aromatherapist before using any essential oils.

References:

Essential Oils During Conception, Pregnancy and Beyond. Retrieved from https://www.tisserand.com/blog/wellbeing/aromatherapy-conception-pregnancy-birth/

Lavender Oil and Pregnancy. Retrieved from https://roberttisserand.com/2011/07/lavender-oil-and-pregnancy/

Peppermint and Breastfeeding – Results of Poll. Retrieved from https://tisserandinstitute.org/peppermint-and-breastfeeding-results-of-poll/

Tisserand, R. and Young, R. (2014). Essential Oil Safety (2nd ed.). London: Elsevier.

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