The Effect of Herbal Medicine on Breast Milk Production: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

Introduction: Insufficient milk production can cause stress and discomfort in mothers, so some mothers choose herbal medicines to increase milk production. This study aims to review the effect of herbal medicine on breast milk production according to existing scientific literature.Materials and Methods: In this overview, online databases Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Google search engine were searched for studies that reported effect of herbal medicines for increasing milk production up to November ۲۰۲۲. Two independent authors undertook the screening, selection, and quality assessment of elected research (using the CONSORT statement).Results: Finally ۵ systematic review (n=۶۴ studies) were included. A systematic review (۹ experimental studies) showed that torbangun leaves, young papayas, moringa leaves, katuk leaves and banana buds contain chemical compounds that can increase the production and secretion of breast milk. Two systematics (۸ experimental studies) showed that consumption of fenugreek and milk thistle significantly increased the produced breast milk versus control. However, studies were very heterogeneous. Another systematic review (۴۱ experimental studies) reported increasing on milk volume in thirteen research (using Bu Xue Sheng Ru, Chanbao, Cui Ru, banana flower, fenugreek, ginger, moringa, fenugreek, ginger and turmeric mix, ixbut, mixed botanical tea, Sheng Ru He Ji, silymarin, Xian Tong Ru, palm dates), but meta-analysis was not possible due to substantial heterogeneity. Conclusion: There is evidence that some herbal medicine may increasing milk volume in mothers, but due to substantial heterogeneity of the studies, imprecision of measurements and incomplete reporting, we are very uncertain about the magnitude of the effect. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of commonly used herbs during breastfeeding.