ArticleBMC complementary and alternative medicine2019
Herbal medicine use during breastfeeding: a cross-sectional study among mothers visiting public health facilities in the Western area of Sierra Leone.
Article in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Progress and inequalities in early initiation of breastfeeding among women in Sierra Leone, 2008-2019.International breastfeeding journal · 2025Article
- Herbal medicine use and associated factors among lactating mothers visiting maternal and child health clinic at Woldia comprehensive specialized hospital, North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia, 2023.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Reasons, associated factors, and attitudes toward breastfeeding mothers' use of complementary medicine products: a study from Türkiye.International breastfeeding journal · 2025Article
- Prevalence, Forms, and Factors Associated With the Use of Herbal Medicine Among Adults Diagnosed With Hypertension at Naguru Regional Referral Hospital: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of tropical medicine · 2025Article
- The pattern of herbal medicines use for breastfeeding mother in Jogonalan, Klaten, Indonesia: a mini survey.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Herbal Medicine for Postpartum Pain: A Systematic Review of Puerperal Wind Syndrome (Sanhupung).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- Use of Herbal Medicines Among Breastfeeding Mothers in Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Traditional and complementary medicine use among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone: a qualitative exploratory study of the perspectives of healthcare workers providing care to Ebola survivors.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Article
- An assessment of Ebola-related stigma and its association with informal healthcare utilisation among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2020Article
- The Effects of Urbanization on the Infant Gut Microbiota and Health Outcomes.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2020Review
- Utilisation of and Attitude towards Traditional and Complementary Medicine among Ebola Survivors in Sierra Leone.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Article
- Impact of the free healthcare initiative on wealth-related inequity in the utilization of maternal & child health services in Sierra Leone.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Pattern of health care utilization and traditional and complementary medicine use among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone.PloS one · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of medications, including herbal medicines during breastfeeding is always a concern among women. Currently, there is no published evidence on whether Sierra Leonean women use herbal medicine during breastfeeding. This study investigates the prevalence, correlates and pattern of herbal medicine use during breastfeeding. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 378 current breastfeeding mothers visiting public healthcare facilities within the Western area of Sierra Leone. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.
resultsOver a third of mothers (n = 140, 37.0%) used herbal medicine during breastfeeding. However, very few herbal medicine users (2.1%, n = 3) used herbal medicine to augment breastfeeding. Dietary changes were the most common method used to increase breast milk supply (93.9%, n = 355) with cassava leaves sauce and tubers being the most common dietary addition. Mothers with children more than six months old were more likely to use herbal medicine than mothers with younger children (OR:1.8; CI:1.13-2.85,p = 0.013). Among herbal medicine users, only 11.4% (n = 16) disclosed their herbal medicine use to their conventional healthcare providers.
conclusionThe use of herbal medicine among breastfeeding mothers attending public health facilities in the Western area of Sierra Leone is common. Whilst this use is not usually specific to increasing breast milk supply, our study indicates that herbal medicines may be used to 'cleanse' initial breast milk.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.