The aim of this study is to evaluate Jordanian Women's opinions, beliefs, and practices towards using different medicinal plants for postpartum health problems care.
Method: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 300 mothers aged 18
years and above. A structured valid and reliable questionnaire was used for collecting personal, medical and nutritional related data including: gestational weight gain characteristics, the effect of delivery and breast feeding on postpartum weight gain and herbal tea consumption for the management of different postpartum health problems such as postpartum colic, flatulence, spasm, maternal bleeding, lactation and weight gain. The above data where collected through a personal interview by the trained investigators.
Results: Around 45% of participants were overweight or obese with average post-pregnancy BMI of 25.1±4.94 kg/m2. Majority of participants (84%) used one or more medicinal plants after delivery to control their postpartum health problems. The participants may seek herbal help mainly for maternal purposes such as decreasing post-delivery colic, flatulence and spasm (52.9%), treating maternal postpartum bleeding (41.7%) and lactation enhancement (41.0%). Conversely, only 9.0% of participants used herbals for weight control. The most commonly used herbals were cinnamon (49.0%), sage (42.0%), and anise (38.0%).
Conclusions: The potential risk of medicinal plant self-medication is high for managing postpartum complications that need a professional evidence-based practice recommendation
