Introduction: Herbs and spices have been present for centuries for alleviating problems that occur during pregnancy and childbirth. In the 21st century their use among pregnant women and also midwives again rises rapidly. However, not all of the herbs are safe during pregnancy as some of them contain active ingredients that can cross the placenta, have teratogenic effect or even cause an abortion. Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to present the safety and use of selected herbs and spices, which are widely used in pregnancy and during labour. A meta-analysis of scientific studies confirm the following hypotheses: oral intake of preparations of Echinacea during pregnancy does not increase the risk of malformation of the fetus; Ginger is effective against nausea and vomiting equally or even more effective than vitamin B_6and has no teratogenic effect; raspberry leaf products reduce chances of complications during labour and have no adverse effect on the mother or fetus; after taking castor oil the potential for induction of labour increases in 24 hours, but in terms of its safety researchers are not unanimous. Methods of work: A meta-analysis of foreign scientific studies has been conducted. We searched using the bibliographic catalogue and using databases such as (CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane, PubMed DiKUL, SciencDirect). The meta-analysis of scientific and randomized clinical studies is conducted by evaluating with a four-point scale by authors Eccles and Mason. Results: Analysis of the scientific and clinical studies has shown that rare herbs and spices are well researched and proven to be safe during pregnancy. Discussion and conclusion: Only selected herbs and spices have been researched and proven to be safe during pregnancy and to have a positive effect on relieving problems that arise during pregnancy and labour. Despite that, the number of studies is too limited to generally ensure the safety of their use - ginger excluded. The following hypotheses have been confirmed: the hypothesis about harmless functioning of Echinacea on the fetus during pregnancy; the hypothesis about positive effect and ensured safety of ginger for nausea and vomiting; the hypothesis that claims harmless functioning of raspberry leaves on the mother and the fetus and the potential to reduce complications during childbirth and the hypothesis about guaranteed induction of labour after taking castor oil, although its own security is not fully proven.
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