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Ingredient guide

Echinacea for women: what is known, including pregnancy and breastfeeding

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

No trial has tested echinacea for a benefit specific to women. The question studied most in women is pregnancy: in a Norwegian study of 68,522 pregnancies, the 363 women who used echinacea had no more adverse outcomes. Even so, NIH says experts recommend against it in pregnancy, and there are no safety data for breastfeeding.1,2,3

Key facts

  • A Toronto study followed 206 women who took echinacea in pregnancy, 112 of them in the first trimester.4
  • NCCIH says some studies suggest echinacea is possibly safe for up to 7 days in the first trimester.5
  • European regulators do not recommend it in pregnancy or breastfeeding unless a doctor advises it.6
  • Some of echinacea's alkamides were found in one nursing mother's milk.3

Benefits for women

We found no trial that tested echinacea for anything specific to women, and none that reported results for women separately. The large trials NIH describes enrolled men and women together, and they measured illness outcomes, which this site makes no claims about.2

So the questions that matter most for women are about safety: pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the allergies and immune conditions covered below.

Pregnancy

In a Norwegian study of 68,522 pregnancies, the 363 women who used echinacea had no higher rate of birth defects or other adverse pregnancy outcomes than those who did not.1

In a Toronto study, 206 women who took echinacea in pregnancy, 112 of them in the first trimester, had rates of major and minor malformations similar to a matched group of 206 women.4

Both studies are observational. They compared women who chose to use echinacea with women who did not, so they cannot rule out a small risk. In the Norwegian study, the women who used echinacea were older on average and smoked less.1,4

Official advice stays cautious. NIH says the safety of echinacea in pregnancy is not known and that experts recommend against it. NCCIH says some studies suggest it is possibly safe for up to 7 days in the first trimester, and advises talking with your provider. European regulators say several hundred exposed pregnancies showed no harm, but they still do not recommend it without a doctor's advice.2,5,6

Breastfeeding

Some of echinacea's alkamides were found in the milk of one nursing mother, and there are no data on its safety for nursing mothers or their infants.3

NCCIH says little is known about whether echinacea is safe while breastfeeding, and European regulators do not recommend it without a doctor's advice. NIH's breastfeeding database notes that some sources accept usual amounts while others advise avoiding it, because no safety data have been published.3,5,6

Other cautions

  • Avoid it if you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, sunflowers or other daisy-family plants5,6
  • Ask first if you have an autoimmune condition, because European regulators say a link with these conditions cannot be ruled out6
  • Ask first if you take warfarin or a medicine that suppresses the immune system2,7

What's in ours

What’s in ours

  • Men's Multi: Immune Support, 110 mg per serving, from the label
  • Immune Support: Echinacea purpurea Extract, 200 mg per serving, from the label

Neither product is made for women in particular. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before taking either one.

Questions people ask

Is echinacea tea safe during pregnancy?

The pregnancy studies we found do not report results for tea separately. The official advice is the same for any form: NIH says experts recommend against echinacea in pregnancy, so ask your doctor or midwife first.1,2

Can I take echinacea while breastfeeding?

There are no published safety data for nursing mothers or their babies, and some of echinacea's compounds have been found in milk. Ask your doctor before using it.3

Does echinacea do anything specific for women?

We found no study showing an effect specific to women. The trials included women, but they measured illness outcomes, which this site does not make claims about.2

See what we make

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See the Full Measure lineImmune SupportMen's Multi

Sources

  1. Heitmann K, Havnen GC, Holst L, Nordeng H. Pregnancy outcomes after prenatal exposure to echinacea: the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2016;72(5):623-630. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 10, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Echinacea. In: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 2006 onward. Updated October 15, 2024. Summary read through PubMed. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Gallo M, Sarkar M, Au W, et al. Pregnancy outcome following gestational exposure to echinacea: a prospective controlled study. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(20):3141-3143. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Echinacea. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Last updated November 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. European Union herbal monograph on Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, herba recens. EMA/HMPC/48704/2014 Corr. 1. 24 November 2015. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. Warfarin sodium tablets: prescribing information (Amneal Pharmaceuticals). DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Published June 3, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.