It was my worst nightmare—six months pregnant and down with a winter flu. Having now gone through labour and delivery, I can honestly say I think I’d rather do that (35 hours!) again rather than have those cold and flu symptoms. At the time, I didn’t think to do much more than a saline rinse and whine for a few days—the “natural” aisle at the store looked really tempting but I was overwhelmed by what Google told me was safe and what wasn’t … and depending on my search parameters it was often a bit of both.
There’s a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there in internet-land these days. How do you know what’s accurate or who to trust? As moms, we know everything we put in our body counts, especially when pregnant or breastfeeding, so misinterpreting something you found online can be a scary prospect.
So can you take echinacea while pregnant or breastfeeding? Health Canada says yes, you can. As a natural solution to cold and flu symptoms, echinacea can indeed help provide relief without pharmaceuticals — and A. Vogel’s Echinaforce® products have the Health Canada stamp of approval to come to the rescue during this critical timeframe in your life.
Cutting Through the Confusion
Some confusion you might come across in your research results from lumping all echinacea products together—with variability in species and preparations, there’s a lot to understand. Older data, which is often what’s at the top of the search results and woven into AI-prepared summaries, groups echinacea into broad warnings about immune-stimulating herbs in general. Distinguishing between these other herbs and Echinacea purpurea is important to quell the confusion at hand. Echinacea purpurea is the echinacea you’re probably used to seeing, with its distinctive purple coneflowers. It’s also the most widely studied variety, and A. Vogel’s Echinaforce (made with, you guessed it, Echinacea purpurea) is the best-researched echinacea product in Canada.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it takes a long time to establish safety profiles for herbal supplements. For decades, the evidence has been stacking up in favour of echinacea’s generalized safety and efficacy, and thanks in part to its broad usage across North America, Europe, and beyond, it is now being recognized by governmental bodies. In both Switzerland and South Africa, for instance, Echinaforce is eligible for public health coverage for over-the-counter medications. Echinacea, it would seem, has finally arrived at the tipping point of mainstream acceptance and approval.
Of course, proving safety during pregnancy requires a higher standard, and for good reason. One seminal Canadian study published in 2000 showed no increase in malformations when echinacea is taken during the first trimester. A subsequent Norwegian study demonstrated the same positive results. Health Canada has reviewed the current research, and taken cues from expert contemporary resources, such as the German Commission E and EmbryoTox, ultimately concluding that Echinaforce is safe to use while pregnant.
How Echinacea Works
Echinacea is a go-to natural remedy—so much so that we’ve talked about its benefits before (see that info here). This hardy purple flower isn’t just pretty in a garden, it’s full of bioactive compounds: alkamides, caffeic acid derivatives, and polysaccharides. These compounds interact with your immune system, nudging it into action in a way that feels like giving your body’s defenses a wake up call.
Research also shows that echinacea helps stimulate the activity of macrophages (basically your body’s janitorial staff) and neutrophils (your body’s border security). By making these cells more responsive, echinacea can help your immune system recognize and deal with viruses faster. At the same time, some of its compounds help keep inflammation in check—so your immune system is working smarter, not harder. This balance is why some people notice colds that are shorter, milder, or less likely to turn into something more serious.
The Benefits of Echinacea
Because echinacea can reduce the longevity and severity of colds and flus, it can also reduce the need for antibiotics. When a bacterial infection progresses to a point at which the body needs help to fight it off, medical professionals are apt to prescribe antibiotics—something we know we want to avoid taking when pregnant or breastfeeding unless absolutely necessary. After all, the ramifications of antibiotics can be significant—including interfering with the maternal microbiome, which in turn shapes the child’s microbiome—and their overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance down the line. Pregnancy is a time for cautious antibiotic use, with a goal to use them wisely.
A 2012 study demonstrated that taking Echinaforce daily for four months reduced the number of colds, severity of symptoms, and the risk of recurrent infections when compared to a placebo. A more recent meta-analysis, published in 2024, showed that the use of Echinaforce reduced the need for antibiotics by preventing respiratory tract infections. All of this adds up to good news for anyone looking to minimize antibiotic usage.
In addition to these obvious antibiotic-avoiding benefits, echinacea has a number of other health impacts. It has shown anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties in some studies. It has also shown to potentially improve mood or anxiety by interacting with cannabinoid-like receptors or inflammatory signaling.
From Conception to Breastfeeding and in Between
Luckily, there are no clinically significant interactions with prenatal vitamins like iron, folate, and DHA—so it’s considered safe at recommended doses during the prenatal period. There’s also not a lot of research relating to echinacea use while breastfeeding—alkamides have been detected in breastmilk, but the benefits from mother to baby would likely be more indirect. Common sense tells us, though, that if mom gets fewer or shorter colds, that’s only going to be good for the little one!
For pregnant and breastfeeding women, the potential immune boost feels especially appealing. When you’re navigating those months during which available medications are limited—or you’d prefer to avoid antibiotics if at all possible—echinacea can be a natural ally. It’s not a cure-all, and the research is still evolving, but it offers a plant-based way to support your body’s natural defenses.
The Echinaforce Difference
Not only do A. Vogel’s Echinaforce products have the Health Canada seal of approval for use while pregnant, but they’re also conscientiously manufactured with the highest quality ingredients. The Echinaforce line is made from fresh, organically grown echinacea, which is 10 times more effective compared to the dried herb. They also harvest and process within 24 hours to make sure the medicinal ingredients making it into your household are as fresh and potent as possible.
The Echinaforce line includes tablets, hot drink mix, a liquid, and additional products for the kiddos. Find all the options here.
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Brought to you byA. Vogel
