Appendix B Toxic or potentially toxic herbs
These herbs should not be taken during pregnancy and lactation and are generally not recommended for internal use under any circumstances, the last point with a few exceptions, specifically Convallaria, Lobelia, boldo, poke root, Rauwolfia and Gelsemium.
Abrus precatorius seed and root | jequirity |
Aconitum species | aconite |
Acorus calamus | sweet flag |
Adonis vernalis | |
Ammi visnaga | |
Apocynum | |
Aristolochia (all or any species) | snakeroot, birthwort |
Arnica (all or any species), other than for external use | Arnica |
Arum maculatum | cuckoopint, lords and ladies |
Belladonna | deadly nightshade |
Brugmansia | |
Brunfelsia uniflora | manaca, mercury |
Calotropis | |
Catha edulis | khat |
Chenopodium ambrosioides | wormseed oil |
Cicuta virosa | cowbane |
Cinchona | quinine bark |
Colchicum | |
Convallaria | lily of the valley |
Coronilla | |
Crotalaria (all or any species) | |
Croton (all or any species) | cascarilla, Croton |
Cynoglossum officinale | hound’s tongue |
Daphne mezereum | mezereum |
Datura | jimson weed |
Digitalis | foxgloves |
Dryopteris filix-mas | male fern |
Duboisia | |
Echium vulgare | viper’s bugloss |
Erysimum | |
Euonymus europaeus | European spindle tree |
Galanthus | snowdrop |
Gelsemium | |
Heliotropium (all or any species) | heliotrope |
Helleborus (all or any species) | hellebore |
Hyoscyamus | henbane |
Lantana camara | Lantana |
Lathyrus sativus, other than the cooked seed | grass pea |
Lithospermum (all or any species) | |
Lobelia | |
Mandragora | mandrake |
Menispermum canadense | yellow parilla |
Mentha pulegium | pennyroyal |
Oleander | |
Opuntia cylindrica | San Pedro cactus |
Papaver somniferum | opium poppy |
Peganum harmala | wild rue |
Petasites (all or any species) | butterbur |
Peumus boldus | boldo |
Phytolacca decandra (P. americana) | poke root, pokeweed |
Podophyllum resin | |
Pteridium aquilinum | bracken fern |
Rauwolfia | |
Ricinus communis, other than the fixed oil of the seed | castor tree |
Robinia pseudoacacia, other than the leaf and flower | false acacia |
Schoenocaulon officinale (Sabadilla officinarum, Veratrum officinale) | Sabadilla |
Scopolia carniolica | |
Semecarpus anacardium (Anacardium orientale), other than the seed | marking nut tree |
Senecio (all or any species) | |
Solanum (all or any species) except stems of Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet) and potatoes | |
Sophora secundiflora | mescal bean |
Spigelia marilandica | pink root, worm grass |
Staphisagria | |
Strophanthus | |
Strychnos | nux vomica |
Strychnos gaulthieriana | |
Strychnos ignatii (Ignatia amara) | Ignatious bean |
Symphytum (all or any species) | comfrey |
Tamus communis fruit and root | black bryony |
Tanacetum vulgare (except in preparations containing 0.8% or less of oil of tansy) | tansy |
Teucrium (all or any species) | germander |
Thevetia | |
Toxicodendron radicans (Rhus toxicodendron) | poison ivy |
Tussilago farfara | coltsfoot |
Virola sebifera | cuajo negro, camaticaro |
Yohimbe (yohimbine) |