In this conversation, registered dietitian Steph Greunke and Dr. Aviva Romm explore the essential aspects of herbal medicine for women, particularly during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and perimenopause. Dr. Romm is the author of the award-winning textbook Botanical Medicine for Women's Health. This episode covers the safety considerations, evidence-based applications, and quality control measures necessary for recommending herbal medicine to pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Valid through 11/25/28
Valid through 3/15/27
Valid through 11/31/2028
This enduring activity (Type 741) awards 1.0 CPEUs in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s CPEU Prior Approval Program.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Provider # 1816, 1.0 Contact Hours.
Provider approved by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians for 1.0 CEs. NDs in Oregon, please see FAQ
Aviva Romm MD is both a midwife and a Yale trained MD and Board Certified Family Physician with specialties in Integrative Gynecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics, with a focus on women’s endocrinology. She’s also a world renown herbalist, and author of the textbook, Botanical Medicines for Women’s Health, as well as 7 other books, including The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution and her new book, Hormone Intelligence, an instant New York Times Bestseller, which explores the impact of the world we live in on women’s hormones and health, and brings us a new medicine for women that is at once holistic and natural, while being grounded in the best science and medicine have to offer.. Her forthcoming book Force of Nature (Elsevier 2027) provides a similarly integrative, whole woman approach to perimenopause, menopause, and midlife. A practitioner, teacher, activist and advocate of both environmental health and women’s reproductive rights and health, she has been bridging the best of traditional medicine, total health ecology, and good science for over three decades. Her podcast, articles, books, and online programs are wildly popular and successful, helping women take back their health, She practices medicine in both NY and MA, and lives in the Berkshires of Western MA.
Heitmann K et al. Herbal drug use in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and perinatal outcomes. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:355. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-355.
Allaire A, et al. “Complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: a survey of North Carolina certified nurse-midwives,” Obstetrics and Gynecology 95 (2000): 19-23.
Viljoen E et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutr J. 2014;13:20. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-20.
Beal M. “Women’s use of complementary and alternative therapies in reproductive health care,” Journal of Nurse Midwifery 43, 3 (1998): 224-234.
Gallo M, et al., “Pregnancy outcome following exposure to echinacea: A prospective controlled study,” Archives of Internal Medicine 160 (2000); 3141-3143. Mortel M & Mehta SD. Systematic review of the efficacy of herbal galactagogues. J Hum Lact. 2013;29(2):154–162. doi:10.1177/0890334413477243.
Pringsheim T et al. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Integr Med. 2022 — see also: Lopresti AL & Drummond PD. Saffron (Crocus sativus) for depression: a systematic review of clinical studies. J Affect Disord. 2014;173:22–28. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.051.
Kasper S et al. Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is effective in the treatment of mixed anxiety-depression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2014;29(5):277–288. doi:10.1097/YIC.0000000000000040. Gibson P. “Herbal and alternative medicine use during pregnancy: A cross-sectional survey,” Obstetrics and Gynecology 97, 4 Suppl. (2001 April): 44.
Kennedy DA et al. Herbal medicine use in pregnancy: results of a multinational study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:355.
Low Dog T. Women’s Health in Complementary and Integrative Medicine: A Clinical Guide (St Louis, MO: Elsevier, 2004).
