Garlic
HerbalAlso called · 6 names▾▴
Allium sativum, garlic cloves, garlic powder, garlic extract, garlic pills, garlick
Herbal supplement (cholesterol and blood pressure)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Food / spice
- Capsule/tablet
- Topical
Research strength: 3 / 5
MotherToBaby says moderate amounts of herbs used in food preparation are not expected to be of concern, but its fact sheet does not discuss garlic itself. NCCIH cautions that oral amounts above food levels may pose a concern during pregnancy and gives no trimester-specific findings. The EMA assessment says evidence for medicinal garlic preparations is insufficient. A 2026 laboratory study found slower heart rates in rat embryos exposed to allicin, but it did not test pregnant people or an oral garlic dose. These sources do not give a first-trimester-specific conclusion. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Research strength: 3 / 5
MotherToBaby says moderate amounts of herbs used in food preparation are not expected to be of concern, but its fact sheet does not discuss garlic itself. NCCIH cautions that oral amounts above food levels may pose a concern during pregnancy and gives no trimester-specific findings. The EMA assessment says evidence for medicinal garlic preparations is insufficient. A 2026 laboratory study found slower heart rates in rat embryos exposed to allicin, but it did not test pregnant people or an oral garlic dose. These sources do not give a second-trimester-specific conclusion. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Research strength: 3 / 5
MotherToBaby says moderate amounts of herbs used in food preparation are not expected to be of concern, but its fact sheet does not discuss garlic itself. NCCIH cautions that oral amounts above food levels may pose a concern during pregnancy. Ziaei et al. studied garlic tablets in a third-trimester trial focused on maternal measures, not infant outcomes. The EMA assessment says evidence for medicinal garlic preparations is insufficient. A 2026 laboratory study found slower heart rates in rat embryos exposed to allicin, but it did not test pregnant people or an oral garlic dose. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology service
- NCCIH: GarlicUS government
- Ziaei et al., European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology (2001)US government
- EMA HMPC: Final assessment report on Allium sativum L., bulbusEU agencyEuropean guidance
- The Effect of Some Complementary Medicine Active Components on Rat Embryonic Heart Rate In Vitro (2026)US government
Garlic — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
According to LactMed, garlic odor passes into milk, and a 1991 human study found infants stayed at the breast longer and sucked more when the milk smelled of garlic; the study reported only a nonsignificant tendency toward more milk intake. LactMed says short-term supplement observations were limited and no published infant blood-level data were found. NCCIH cautions that oral amounts above food levels may pose a concern while breastfeeding, and LactMed notes garlic can affect blood clotting. The Breastfeeding Network says food amounts are usually treated differently from concentrated supplements, for which evidence is limited; it does not discuss garlic specifically. A 2023 study of garlic-containing soup used an uncontrolled before-and-after design, so it cannot show that garlic alone increases milk supply. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- LactMed: GarlicUS government
- NCCIH: GarlicUS government
- The Breastfeeding Network: Vitamins and Supplements While BreastfeedingBreastfeeding charity
- Mennella and Beauchamp, Pediatrics (1991): Maternal diet and human milk odorUS government
- Mennella and Beauchamp, Pediatric Research (1993): Repeated exposure to garlic-flavored milkUS government
- Mahalakshmi et al., Bioinformation (2023): Allium sativum consumption for breastfeeding among postnatal mothersUS government
Pregnancy
Human pregnancy evidence is limited. Myhre et al. (2013) studied food intake in 18,888 participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort; 950 had spontaneous preterm delivery. Allium intake, including garlic, was associated with lower spontaneous preterm delivery (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72-0.94). The strongest garlic association within the allium group was for early spontaneous preterm delivery (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.25-0.89); garlic was also associated with lower preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.97). This observational study cannot show that garlic caused the differences, and it studied food intake rather than supplement use. Ziaei et al. (2001) studied 100 primigravidas at high risk of preeclampsia during the third trimester; 50 received 800 mg/day of garlic tablets and 50 received placebo. The trial assessed maternal blood lipids, platelet aggregation and blood pressure, and the abstract says garlic did not prevent preeclampsia. It does not report birth-defect outcomes. A 2015 trial on garlic in pregnant women was retracted in 2024 after the journal and an external statistical reviewer could not confirm the integrity of the trial design and its main outcome; its results should not be used. A 2026 in vitro study exposed gestation-day-13 rat embryos to allicin and reported embryonic bradycardia; the authors could not estimate a margin for allicin because pharmacokinetic data were missing. This laboratory result does not establish a human pregnancy effect. The EMA assessment reports insufficient data for medicinal garlic preparations. MotherToBaby's general herbal-products sheet discusses moderate use of herbs in food but does not discuss garlic individually.
Breastfeeding
LactMed reports that garlic odor passes into human milk and that published infant blood-level information was not found. Mennella and Beauchamp (1991) found that garlic ingestion increased milk odor; infants stayed attached longer and sucked more when the milk smelled of garlic, while the reported tendency toward greater milk intake was not statistically significant. Their 1993 study found that infant feeding behavior differed with prior exposure to garlic-flavored milk; the abstract does not state the group sizes. LactMed describes short-term supplement observations as limited and reports no adverse effects in nursing mothers or infants in those observations, but this does not establish longer-term effects. LactMed says no good scientific data were located for garlic alone as a galactagogue. Mahalakshmi et al. (2023) studied 60 postpartum mothers in an uncontrolled one-group before-and-after design. Participants received garlic-containing hot and sour soup twice daily for one week; the study did not specify a garlic dose or include a control group, so it cannot show that garlic alone increased milk supply.
Garlic (Allium sativum) contains alliin, which the enzyme alliinase changes into allicin. LactMed attributes much of garlic's medicinal properties and odor to allicin. Fresh food garlic, dried powder, extracts, oil and topical raw garlic are different preparations and are not interchangeable exposures.
What was tested
Pregnancy research includes a 2013 Norwegian cohort of dietary alliums, a 2001 randomized third-trimester tablet trial focused on maternal measures, and a 2026 in vitro rat embryo study of allicin. The 2015 garlic trial in pregnant women was retracted in 2024. Breastfeeding research includes small human milk-odor and infant-feeding studies from 1991 and 1993, plus a 2023 uncontrolled study of a garlic-containing soup. These studies do not establish trimester-specific effects of medicinal garlic or longer-term infant effects from concentrated supplements.
Oral amounts above food levels while breastfeeding
- Source A says
- NCCIH cautions that oral garlic amounts above those found in foods may pose a concern while breastfeeding. (NCCIH: Garlic)
- Source B says
- LactMed reports limited data in which a few days of oral garlic supplementation caused no adverse effects in nursing mothers or infants, and it describes garlic as a food flavoring during lactation. The Breastfeeding Network says usual food amounts differ from concentrated supplements and notes evidence gaps for supplements. (LactMed: Garlic, The Breastfeeding Network: Vitamins and Supplements While Breastfeeding)
- Why they differ
- The sources address different amounts and evidence windows. LactMed summarizes short-term observations and food use, while NCCIH cautions about larger oral amounts.
- What the evidence shows overall
- There is no clear conflict about garlic used in usual food quantities. For larger oral amounts, brief observations do not establish longer-term infant effects. The guidance rating is retained because supplement evidence is limited and LactMed notes a maternal bleeding concern.
- MotherToBaby says moderate amounts of herbs used in food preparation are not expected to be of concern; its fact sheet does not discuss garlic specifically. (MotherToBaby)
- NCCIH distinguishes garlic in food from oral amounts above food levels and says little is known about topical garlic during pregnancy or breastfeeding. (NCCIH)
- LactMed says garlic alone has no good scientific evidence as a galactagogue and notes that a galactagogue is not a substitute for evaluation and counseling on factors that affect milk production. (LactMed)
- LactMed notes garlic's anti-platelet effects and advises caution for women at risk for bleeding. (LactMed)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
Garlic can have effects outside pregnancy, especially with concentrated supplements or topical raw garlic. A 2026 FDA recall applied to one specific garlic-infused oil product.
- NCCIH lists breath and body odor, abdominal pain, flatulence, nausea and allergic reactions among possible effects of oral garlic. It says supplements may increase bleeding risk, especially around surgery or with medicines such as anticoagulants or aspirin. (NCCIH: Garlic)
- NCCIH says fresh raw garlic applied to skin can cause severe irritation and chemical burns. LactMed reports a nursing mother had severe breast burns after applying a raw garlic poultice for two days. (NCCIH: Garlic, LactMed: Garlic)
- The FDA announced a voluntary recall of Kofinas Garlic Mediterranean Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil on 31 August 2026 because it contained garlic essential oil not approved for culinary use. The announcement said no illnesses had been reported. This was a product-specific recall, not a general warning about garlic foods. (FDA: Kofinas garlic-infused olive oil voluntary recall)
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology serviceSecondaryIndependent check
- LactMed: GarlicUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-05-15
- NCCIH: GarlicUS governmentSecondary
- EMA HMPC: Final assessment report on Allium sativum L., bulbusEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2017-07-18Independent checkEuropean guidance
- Myhre et al., Journal of Nutrition (2013): Allium intake and spontaneous preterm deliveryUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Ziaei et al., European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology (2001)US governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- The Effect of Some Complementary Medicine Active Components on Rat Embryonic Heart Rate In Vitro (2026)US governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Publisher Statement of Retraction: Aalami-Harandi et al. garlic pregnancy trialPrimaryPage dated 2024-06-18Independent check
- Mennella and Beauchamp, Pediatrics (1991): Maternal diet and human milk odorUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Mennella and Beauchamp, Pediatric Research (1993): Repeated exposure to garlic-flavored milkUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- The Breastfeeding Network: Vitamins and Supplements While BreastfeedingBreastfeeding charitySecondaryIndependent check
- Mahalakshmi et al., Bioinformation (2023): Allium sativum consumption for breastfeeding among postnatal mothersUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- FDA: Kofinas garlic-infused olive oil voluntary recallUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-08-31
Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Independent check 2026-10-16
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.
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