Sage Supplements While Nursing

[catherine.kling]

I have a 10-week old whom I have been exclusively pumping & bottle feeding for; latching didn't go so well in the beginning and my main concern was that he was eating. I have been experiencing horrible plugged ducts multiple times per week over the last six weeks or so due to over supply. I've worked with a lactation consultant to help alleviate these and nothing seems to work (pumping for less time, stretching out the time in between pumping sessions, etc.).

I read up on sage and how it helps women with over-supply. My clogged ducts are caused by over supply. Sage helps dry up supply when nursing is no longer needed. I want to continue nursing but clear up some of the over supply so that my painful clogged ducts will come to and end. Since taking sage, I no longer have clogged ducts but now the lactation consultant is telling me that she cannot recommend that I give the milk I have pumped to my infant.

Can someone please tell me if it is harmful to my infant to drink breast milk if I have taken sage? I am taking approximately 1,000 mg twice daily. If the only relief I can get is from taking sage but I cannot feed the milk to my baby, then I may as well start to wean entirely.

Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[admin]

Catherine.kling,

Possibly safe when used orally in amounts commonly found in foods, but when used orally in high doses or long-term some species of sage, including common sage, contain a thujone constituent that can be toxic (causes seizures and possibly death) if enough is consumed. So we cannot recommend the safety of using 1000mg twice a day as this has not been studied and we do not know how much sage would transfer into your breast milk and cause harm to your infant.

Sandra Lovato R.N.
InfantRisk Center
806-352-2519