Ethnopharmacology of Botanical Galactagogues and Comprehensive Analysis of Gaps Between Traditional and Scientific Evidence

Abstract

The functional potential of plants and plant-based components have been used in different cultures since time immemorial to promote milk production in women. Conditions like agalactia or insufficient production of breast milk due to various barriers intended to be a greater risk of weight loss for neonates and prompting for supplementation of infant formula. Multiple plants are traditionally used worldwide as galactagogues during the lactation period. This study aims to extract information on traditionally used galactagogue plants and compare their ethnopharmacological evidence with scientific evidence. This will help to understand the gaps in the ethnopharmacological and scientific data and thus provide future research information.Information on traditional and scientific studies was collected and analyzed on galactagogues. The ethnopharmacological data of the focused plant species were analyzed for part used, formulations, and region of its uses. All cultures traditionally used natural products as galactagogue from times immemorial, and due to scientific advances, these have also been seen as commercial products. However, because of the limited studies, it is of interest to standardize the doses, and composition of bioactive components and study the mechanism of action, its side effects, and interaction with food. This is a forward-looking research area that could be projected for manufacturing herbal formulations for lactating mothers.