Use of Medicinal Plants during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum in Southern Morocco

Abstract

Southern Morocco, particularly the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, is rich in a wide diversity of plant species. Pregnant women in this region use medicinal plants during pregnancy and childbirth for various purposes; however, the use of these plants has never been documented. The objectives of this study are threefold: to estimate the prevalence of medicinal plant uses by pregnant women in the province of Guelmim, Morocco, to describe the traditional practices of self-medication and to determine the associated factors. This is a multicenter cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical approaches. Data were collected using an interview questionnaire, which was administered to pregnant women at health care centers and hospitals in the province of Guelmim. A total of 560 women participated in this study. The prevalence of medicinal plant use was 66.96%. Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Thymus maroccanus Ball., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Aloysia citriodora Palau, Lepidium sativum L. and Cuminum cyminum L. were the plants with the highest UV. Pain, the induction and facilitation of childbirth, flu syndrome and anemia were the most listed reasons for use. The use of medicinal plants was significantly associated with the level of education (chi-square = 15.651; p = 0.004), and pregnancy monitoring (chi-square = 5.283; p = 0.028). In the province of Guelmim, the prevalence of the use of medicinal plants by women during pregnancy and childbirth is high. Further research is necessary in order to explore potential associated risks and complications.

Patient–physician communication on herbal medicine use during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Among 111 studies, 102 studies were cross-sectional in design 27 61–161. Three studies used mixed-method approaches,162–164 and six studies had non-cross-sectional designs (ie, longitudinal and case–control),165–170 but reported cross-sectional data on HM use during pregnancy (online supplemental appendix 6).…”

Medicinal plants used in treatment of various diseases in the Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda

“…The majority of participants were women because they are usually the caregivers, especially for children, and even so in the absence of modern health care, they have to ensure their children are kept away from diseases and thus their knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is inevitable (Torres-Avilez et al 2016). Besides, the low levels of education of participants imply limited employment opportunities, and hence limited income and so not easy to access modern medicine except the use of herbal medicine that is easily accessible to provide health care for themselves and their children (Kamel et al 2022) as summarized in Table 1.…”

Prevalence, motivation, and associated factors of medicinal herbs consumption in pregnant women from Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office: a systematic review

“… 2022 ), and 67.45% in Morocco (Kamel et al. 2022 ). To date, many studies have investigated the impact of herbal medicine on pregnant women in another geographic area, a systematic review of Asian countries reported that, in total, 1283 out of 2729 (47.01%) women used at least one herbal medicine during their pregnancy (Ahmed et al.…”