Guanajuato, Gto., July 20, 2018.- After a study made with more than 1,800 pregnant women, scholars from the University of Guanajuato (UG) detected that nearly 22% of the pregnant women self-medicate, which can be very dangerous because of the common use of plants such as rue and arnica, that are abortive.

Dr. Ángel Josabad Alonso Castro, researcher ascribed to the Department of Pharmacy in the Division of Natural and Exact Sciences (DCNE) of UG, mentioned that in Latin America there is a belief that using plants to treat ailments "it's ok because natural is the best".

Hence, he highlighted the importance of avoiding self-medication and the use of plants without consulting experts, because they put the health of both the mother and baby in danger.

Dr. Josabad Alonso, whose research line is pharmacology of natural products, explained that for this work they interviewed more than 1,800 women country wide, with the purpose to know which products they consume during their pregnancy.

They found out that 22% self-medicates to treat symptoms like nausea, headache and vomit. Usually, they take paracetamol or chamomile, that until now, they haven't reported important adverse effects. However, he cleared there's a study of Canadian researchers that reveals a light diminishment in the weight of newborns in the cases where mothers drank chamomile regularly during the pregnancy.

"What worried us is that they use rue and arnica a lot –as anti-inflammatory— ". Close to a 10% of the surveyed women, had consumed it and were unaware it was abortive, affirmed Dr. Alonso Castro.

The college professor added that in their research they found that because a cultural feature in Latin America there's the rooted costume to self-medicate following the recommendations from family members or close people. Even, many of the women who self-medicate have a high level of knowledge (major or postgraduate).

He added that the results of this job were published in an Arab magazine, Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, free access, since the purpose of the scholars is for the information to reach a wide audience.

At the end, Dr. Ángel Josabad Alonso sustained the recommendation to always consult a physician and not guide solely in the information found in the internet or social media.

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