Is St. John’s wort safe during pregnancy?

There is limited research available on the safety and toxicity of HP during pregnancy. One in vitro study suggested that the typical dosage of HP prescribed is not toxic. Additionally, the same study indicated that two of the main active compounds in HP, hyperforin and hypericin, exhibited potential toxicity only at much higher doses than what is typically achieved with common supplement usage.^[1]

Another prospective, observational, controlled cohort study, monitored 54 pregnant women who were taking an average daily dosage of 615 mg of HP for depression. The study did not find any congenital malformations in the newborns of these women. It did note a higher rate of spontaneous abortions in the HP group compared to the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant.^[2] More extensive studies