Is Emu Oil safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Emu Oil. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Emu oil is a mixture of fatty acids derived from the fat of the emu (Dromiceius novahollandiae). It contains linoleic, linolenic myristic, oleic, palmitic, palmitoleic, and stearic acids. It has been used as a moisturizing agent and some animal data indicate that in might promote wound healing and decrease inflammation. An emu oil-based cream (Clemulina Pus cream, Sitar Laboratories, Padua, Italy) applied to the nipples and areolas of breastfeeding mothers after each nursing appeared to improve skin hydration. Whether this led to reduced nipple cracking or any effects on nursing infants was not studied.[1]
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Emu Oil is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Emu Oil” (LM1173). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.