Written by Joyce Smith, BS. This study demonstrates that a mixed herbal supplementation of three glactogogue herbs, fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric, can increase human milk volume in a period of two weeks without serious adverse effects to both mother and infant.
The World Health Organization has recommended that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life 1. Only 12% of infants in Thailand are breast fed exclusively for six months post-delivery. Approximately 25% of women who supplemented their breast milk cited low milk production and lack of confidence as major reasons; however, nipple problems, pain, and milk storage also factored into their decision 2. Fenugreek, containing milk-stimulating diosgenin, apigenin, and luteolin 3, has been used worldwide as a safe and effective glactagogue 4. In Thailand, fenugreek is commonly combined with turmeric and ginger, also glactogogue herbs, for routine postpartum care 5. As an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with wound-healing properties, turmeric has been used as a galactogogue in India to decrease pain, tension, and inflammation in mastitis 6. In addition, diosgenin and apigenin both exert estrogen-like activity that stimulates the anterior pituitary to produce more prolactin, resulting in increased milk quantity 7.
This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial 8 examined the effects of a combined herbal supplement (fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric) on human milk volume and nutrient content in 50 breastfeeding mothers (ages 20-40 years) who were one month postpartum and who were willing to breastfeed exclusively. Participants (n=25) supplemented with 3 capsules of herb or placebo daily before meals for 4 weeks. Each capsule contained 200 mg fenugreek, 120 mg ginger, and 100 mg turmeric or a placebo. Anthropometric and dietary data, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood and milk samples were collected at baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention. Milk volume was measured using a manual breast pump and recorded for 2 days at baseline, week 2, and week 4.
Breastfeeding mothers receiving herbal supplementation had a 49% increase in milk volume at week 2 and a 103% increase at week 4, a statistically significant increase when compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). There was no difference in milk nutrient content for both groups. Moreover, there were no differences in adverse effects observed in the placebo and herbal groups.
This study demonstrates that an herbal supplement containing a combination of fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric can increase human milk production in as little as two weeks and do so without any serious side effects. A study limitation was the small sample size of breastfeeding mothers. A larger study that focuses on the mechanism of galactagogues to increase milk volume is recommended.
Source: Bumrungpert, Akkarach, Promluck Somboonpanyakul, Patcharanee Pavadhgul, and Siriporn Thaninthranon. “Effects of fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric supplementation on human milk volume and nutrient content in breastfeeding mothers: A randomized double-blind controlled trial.” Breastfeeding Medicine 13, no. 10 (2018): 645-650.
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Posted August 12, 2019.
Joyce Smith, BS, is a degreed laboratory technologist. She received her bachelor of arts with a major in Chemistry and a minor in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan and her internship through the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She currently resides in Bloomingdale, IL.
References:
- World Health Organization, UNICEF. Global strategy for infant and young child feeding. World Health Organization; 2003.
- Buttham S, Kongwattanakul K, Jaturat N, Soontrapa S. Rate and factors affecting non-exclusive breastfeeding among Thai women under the breastfeeding promotion program. International journal of women’s health. 2017;9:689.
- Dietz BM, Hajirahimkhan A, Dunlap TL, Bolton JL. Botanicals and their bioactive phytochemicals for women’s health. Pharmacological reviews. 2016;68(4):1026-1073.
- Forinash AB, Yancey AM, Barnes KN, Myles TD. The use of galactogogues in the breastfeeding mother. Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2012;46(10):1392-1404.
- Luecha P, Umehara K. Thai medicinal plants for promoting lactation in breastfeeding women. Handbook of dietary and nutritional aspects of human breast milk: Wageningen Academic Publishers; 2013:1954-1959.
- Afshariani R, Farhadi P, Ghaffarpasand F, Roozbeh J. Effectiveness of topical curcumin for treatment of mastitis in breastfeeding women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Oman medical journal. 2014;29(5):330.
- De Boer HJ, Cotingting C. Medicinal plants for women’s healthcare in southeast Asia: a meta-analysis of their traditional use, chemical constituents, and pharmacology. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2014;151(2):747-767.
- Bumrungpert A, Somboonpanyakul P, Pavadhgul P, Thaninthranon S. Effects of fenugreek, ginger, and turmeric supplementation on human milk volume and nutrient content in breastfeeding mothers: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Breastfeeding Medicine. 2018;13(10):645-650.
