Lactating patients should use caution when taking traditional Chinese medicine. After a lactating mother takes certain traditional Chinese medicines, the drugs can enter the newborn's body through breast milk. Therefore, attention should be paid to which drugs can affect the newborn through breast milk. These drugs can be divided into three categories: drugs with concentrations in breast milk higher than those in the mother's blood; drugs with concentrations in breast milk similar to those in the mother's blood; and drugs with concentrations in breast milk lower than those in the mother's blood. It is best to avoid drugs with concentrations in breast milk higher than those in the mother's blood, or to use them in small amounts. Even for drugs that are not easily absorbed into breast milk, careful selection should be made when using them. For example, compound licorice oral solution (containing codeine). Although the amount of these drugs in breast milk is small, newborns are particularly sensitive to this type of drug due to their large amount of breastfeeding. It is better to avoid using them.
