Photo by Nadezhda Moryak

 

 

 

Part 2- Emmenagogue Herbs & Pennyroyal Toxicity Cases

In the previous post PART 1 , I wanted to make sure everyone who reads the mini-series is aware of the difference between the two terms; one was emmenagogue and abortifacient. The part 2 post will include a link to read further on pennyroyal toxicity cases and a noncomprehensive list of herbs that may help get blood flowing and may also alleviate some menstrual type related pain- but be sure to ask your doctor for complications or contraindications.  It really helps to know the difference in terminology so you’re not overdosing unintentionally your emmenagogue with what you thought was supposed to be an abortifacient. (Essential oils are mainly topicals or perhaps utilized in diffusers. Never drink or ingest them.)

 

Herbs that move blood and relieve pain

Dr. Michael Tierra L.AC., O.M.D.

1	Vervain	8	Saffron	15	Blue Cohosh
2	Corydalis	9	Calendula	16	Rose Flowers
3	Turmeric	10	Frankincense	17	Chaste Berries
4	Motherwort	11	Myrrh	18	Rue
5	Bugleweed	12	Wild Ginger	19	Collinsonia
6	Peach Seed	13	Penny Royal
7	Safflower	14	Tansy

 

I will not be breaking down each plant/herb within this mini post because I feel PlanetHerbs does it better on their own website as is where I retrieved this chart from, here is the link for them: The Emmenagogues – East West School of Planetary Herbology (planetherbs.com)

We can see here that pennyroyal is actually listed as an EMMENAGOGUE. I will be adding an excerpt from  Naturespoisons.com website on pennyroyals toxicity cases and a link so that the readers can continue to read on further over there.   READ MORE HERE

A brief scenario where an individual consumed the (essential) oil and still left the hospital pregnant despite the trouble and the other one died 7 days later:

Fast-forward nearly 100 years to November 1978 . . . During a four-day period at Denver General Hospital, ED physicians saw two pennyroyal cases (5). The first, an 18-year-old female, presented with abdominal pain and vomiting after intentionally ingesting two one-half-ounce bottles of pennyroyal oil to abort a suspected pregnancy (her pregnancy test at the hospital was negative). The only remarkable finding at the time was metabolic acidosis with an anion gap of 25 mEq/L, but her liver enzymes continued to elevate with commensurate renal failure, and she died 7 days after ingestion. The second patient, a 22-year-old female, ingested 10 mL of pennyroyal oil to induce abortion (her pregnancy test was positive). She presented to the ED with dizziness, and clinical labs were all normal. She was discharged after a two-day observation without further problems and was still pregnant.(Justin 2022)

I am not making any claims that pennyroyal tea would be any better; I suggest not following suggestions that are on social media such as Tiktok. If you had been on there and wondered why so many were against pennyroyal after following that hashtag ride, this would specifically be their reasons.  As with any other of listed herbs, do your due diligence and read up on their toxicity case findings or ask your local health care professional about it for educational purposes or contraindications there may be.

Again, please locate the appropriate healthcare professional for your individual needs.

Here is the link for Registered Herbalist in the US:

Registered Herbalists | American Herbalists Guild

 

Citations

Tierra, n.d., The Emmenagogues – East West School of Planetary Herbology (planetherbs.com)

JUSTIN 2022, Pennyroyal: Nature’s Herb or Abortifacient? | Nature’s Poisons (naturespoisons.com)

 

DISCLAIMER:

I AM NOT A DOCTOR

Please seek the appropriate healthcare professionals to answer medical/drug-related questions. This information is for knowledge purposes only and not meant to replace any advice or care provided to you by your Health Care Team Providers. ANY INFORMATION WITHIN ‘BASICS OF BOTANICALS’ LITERARY WORKS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS MEDICAL ADVICE NOR SHOULD IT REPLACE ANY MEDICAL SERVICES. ‘BASICS OF BOTANICALS’ IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE COMPILATION; It is meant to be a spring-board type guide to getting individuals into searching in-depth further on their own. If any information is incorrect/missing, please email hwsbotanicalsemporium@gmail.com with the following:

• Citations missing or incomplete
• Inaccurate information
• The specific post/article in question

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK link to H.W.’s Botanicals & Emporium