Meadowsweet

The flowering tops of this herbaceous plant are used.
It contains tannins and flavonoids, spireoside, rutoside, hyperoside, quercetin, kempferol and essential oil. It contains around 0.1% of salicylates (Moro 2011). The word aspirin is derived from its Latin name (Spiraea).
Properties traditionally attributed to it, without sufficient clinical evidence: antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory (EMA 2011).
Indications of Commission E of the German Ministry of Health: common cold. (Blumenthal 1998 p169).

Since the last update we have not found published data on its excretion in breastmilk.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage has been reported in a 4-year-old boy who took a syrup containing meadowsweet and willow (1.5% salicylic acid) without being able to determine the exact cause (Moro 2011).

Although the salicylic acid content of meadowsweet is unlikely to cause Reye syndrome through excretion in milk, until there is more published data on this plant in relation to breastfeeding, it may be preferable to avoid it or consume moderately and occasionally during breastfeeding, especially during the neonatal period and in case of prematurity.

Precautions when taking plant preparations:
1. Make sure they are from a reliable source: poisonings have occurred due to confusion of one plant with another with toxic properties, poisonings due to heavy metals that are extracted from the soil and food poisoning due to contamination with bacteria or fungi (Anderson 2017).
2. Do not take in excess; follow recommendations from experts in phytotherapy. "Natural" products are not good in any quantity: plants contain active substances from which much of our traditional pharmacopoeia has been obtained and can cause poisoning or act as endocrine disruptors (contain phytoestrogens: Powers 2015, Zava 1998) if consumed in exaggerated quantity or periods of time.

• Aspirin (Low Risk probable)

Alternatives

• Ibuprofen (Very Low Risk)
• Paracetamol (Very Low Risk)