Amla and Turmeric During Pregnancy: What to Know Before Taking Them

Our article amla and turmeric: dangers already mentions pregnancy in its list of precautions to add up. The topic deserves its own treatment, since the distinction between food use and a concentrated course changes everything for this duo.

Amla as a food: little cause for concern

Amla is part of everyday diets in many countries, eaten as fruit, in a moderate amount of juice, or as a small quantity of powder in a dish. At these usual food doses, no particular problem has been identified during pregnancy. A randomized trial by Kapoor, Suzuki, Derek, Ozeki and Okubo, published in 2019 in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, followed 15 healthy adults taking 500 mg of amla extract daily for 18 weeks without finding a notable adverse effect (see the study on Google Scholar) — but this trial did not include pregnant women, so it allows no extrapolation about the safety of a concentrated course during pregnancy.

Turmeric: caution mainly concerns the concentrated extract

Turmeric used in cooking, at a moderate dose, is also part of everyday diets without an identified problem. Heightened caution concerns standardized curcumin extracts, already advised against as a precaution during pregnancy even outside any combination with amla. The study by Rasyid, Rahman, Jaalam and Lelo (2002, Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition), already cited in our article amla and turmeric: dangers, showed that a 40 mg dose of pure curcumin caused a significant gallbladder contraction in humans (see the study on Google Scholar): a mechanism with no direct link to pregnancy, but one that shows concentrated ginger-and-pregnancy/">turmeric acts on the body in a way that goes beyond simple culinary use, reason enough for caution at this stage.

Why no data covers the combination itself

No study, on amla or on ginger-dosage/">turmeric, has been conducted specifically in pregnant women, let alone on their combination. Absence of evidence of harm is not evidence of safety: the precautionary principle applies here, as it does for the vast majority of herbs and supplements not studied in this specific context.

What to do in practice

Situation	What to do
Amla as fruit, moderate juice or occasional culinary powder	Usual food use, generally no identified problem
Turmeric in cooking, usual amounts	Usual food use, generally no identified problem
Concentrated course of amla and turmeric extracts, combined	Best avoided as a precaution, without prior medical advice
History of gallstones during pregnancy	Avoid concentrated turmeric, discuss it with your midwife or doctor

What about breastfeeding?

Data on how concentrated amla and turmeric pass into breast milk is virtually nonexistent. The same caution applies: usual food use raises no identified problem, while a concentrated course combining both herbs is best avoided without explicit medical advice.

Precautions

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: keep both herbs to usual food amounts; no concentrated course combining amla and turmeric without medical advice.
• History of gallstones: particular vigilance for concentrated turmeric, consistent with the precaution already set out in amla and turmeric: dangers.
• Only resume a concentrated course after delivery and once breastfeeding has ended, in discussion with your care team.

The full precautions are covered in our article amla and turmeric: dangers and in our safety and precautions guide. For general guidance on Ayurveda during this period, see our Ayurveda and pregnancy guide.