Herbs to avoid while breastfeeding

Shortly after my daughter was born I went back to some of my old habits - eating sushi and having multiple cups of peppermint tea per day.  After a few days, I noticed my milk supply was beginning to decrease and after some quick googling I realized it was the peppermint tea was doing me in! This experience served as a good reminder that herbs and plants have a real power and can make subtle if not drastic changes in our bodies. 
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Using large amounts of the following herbs and other natural remedies should be avoided while nursing because they have been known to decrease milk supply. The amounts of these herbs normally used in cooking are unlikely to be of concern; it’s mainly the larger amounts that might be used therapeutically that could pose a problem. However, some moms have noticed a decrease in supply after eating things like dressing with lots of sage, sage tea (often recommended when moms are weaning), lots of strong peppermint candies or menthol cough drops, or other foods/teas with large amounts of the particular herb. These herbs are sometimes used by mothers to treat oversupply, or when weaning.

• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)/Menthol

• Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor)
• Sage (Salvia officinalis)
• Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
• Spearmint
• Thyme
• Yarrow

• Black Walnut
• Chickweed
• Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
• Lemon Balm
• Oregano
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)​

Herbs that may be harmful to mom and/or baby
Other herbs should be avoided while nursing due to their potential for harming mom and/or baby. Here are a few herbs that are generally considered to be contraindicated for nursing mothers. This is by no means a complete list.

• Bladderwrack
• Buckthorn
• Chaparral
• Coltsfoot (Farfarae folium)
• Dong Quai (Angelica Root)
• Elecampane
• Ephedra / Ephedra sinica / Ma Huang
• Ginseng (Panax ginseng)

• Indian Snakeroot
• Kava-kava (piper methysticum)
• Petasites root
• Phen-fen, herbal
• Rhubarb
• Star anise
• Tiratricol (TRIAC)
• Uva Ursi
• Wormwood