The Use of Herbal Products during Breastfeeding: A Study from a Public Italian Hospital

Abstract

Background: The use of herbal products is steadily increasing worldwide, especially by women, also during pregnancy and breastfeeding, even if safety data are lacking. Aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of use and the attitude toward herbal remedies among women during breastfeeding, by an interview-based survey. Methods: Participants were interviewed after receiving the informed consent, by a structured and validated questionnaire. Results: Two hundred forty-four breastfeeding women completed the questionnaire. The majority of them were non-smokers and non-drinkers, whereas they were regular consumers of herbal products during breastfeeding (97%). Medicinal plants most commonly used were sweet almond oil (68%) and fennel (37%). Herbal products were often associated with other prescription drugs (89%). Five percent of women have experienced dermatological and gastrointestinal adverse reactions, potentially due to herbal products. Conclusions: This study reports that nursing mothers are generally no smokers, avoid alcohol consumption, and they reduce the use of drugs to those really needed. At the main time, this study highlights that breastfeeding mothers have limited knowledge on the risk/benefit profile of plant-derived products. As data on the excretion of chemical components of herbal products and their metabolites in breast milk are lacking, it is generally better to avoid during breastfeeding the use "natural remedies" whose safety has not been well established.

The prevalence, perceptions and behaviors associated with traditional/complementary medicine use by breastfeeding women living in Macau: a cross-sectional survey study

“…In this study, it was found that over 50% of the women in Macau used at least 1 T/CM during breastfeeding. The findings about the common use of T/CM during breastfeeding are in consistence with what have been previously reported in other countries: 16% in the USA [12], 59.9% in Australia [7], 97% in Italy [16], and 45% in China [8]. While the lower prevalence of T/CM use in the USA may be a true representation, it may also be associated with differences in study design.…”

“…This opens a potential opportunity to be a reliable source of T/CM information. Clearly, standardized peer reviewed information and guidelines for breastfeeding women and those that care for them are needed [16,62,[65][66][67].…”

“…A recent review revealed that since 1995, there were only 9 publications focused on the use of T/CM products during lactation compared to 19 publications related to T/CM use during pregnancy and other childbearing stages [15]. The limited literature about the use of T/CM by breastfeeding women were mostly conducted in western countries including Italy [16], Australia [7] and the USA [12]. The importance of cultural influences and T/CM use has become evident [17,18].…”

The Effects of Urbanization on the Infant Gut Microbiota and Health Outcomes

“…While commonly used to treat chronic medications, there is increasing evidence for the use of maternal TCM (particularly herbal medicine) during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, including during breastfeeding (117)(118)(119)(120)(121). Studies regarding the effects of TCM use on breast milk components, the breast milk microbiota, and the gut microbiota are lacking.…”

Use of Nutritional Supplement in Breastfeeding Mothers and Related Reasons

“…Bitkisel ürünler infertilite, amenore, doğum kontrolü, gebelik, doğum ve doğum sonrası emzirme döneminde kullanılmaktadır (13) . Avustralya, İtalya ve Taiwan'dan yapılan çalışmalarda, özellikle emzirme döneminde kullanılan bitkisel ürünler ile ilgili çalışmalar bulunmaktadır (14)(15)(16) .…”