Cannabis and herbal medicines
We identified two Canadian manuscripts describing a single group of
participants who used herbal medicines in pregnancy 71,
72. The main decision faced by participants in these studies was what
to use to control pregnancy-related symptoms including nausea and
vomiting. Cannabis was one herbal remedy considered and used by
participants and was discussed alongside ginger, peppermint, and other
herbal medicines. When making the decision about what to use to control
nausea and vomiting, participants discussed risks to the fetus as a
primary concern and efficacy of the herbal medicine as a secondary
concern 71, 72.
Information used to make the decision included prior knowledge, trusted
sources of advice (friends, family, healthcare providers, herbalists,
the internet) and intuition/instinct 71. Participants
were more comfortable using herbs than pharmaceutical drugs and would
only turn to pharmaceutical products after herbal medicines had failed71. Medical cannabis was legal but recreational
cannabis was illegal in this jurisdiction at the time of the research;
legal implications are not discussed in these papers71, 72.