USE OF HERBAL MEDICINES AMONG BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS IN TANZANIA

Abstract

Background There are limited data on the use of herbal medicines among breastfeeding mothers, despite the fact that knowledge of the possible benefits or harms of many of these products is rarely among many especially in relation to herbal medicines during breastfeeding. The aim of the study is to find the current prevalence and determinants of Herbal Medicine use during breastfeeding in Tanzania. Methods The face to face interviews were conducted among breastfeeding women (18-49) years attending Postnatal Clinic at Uhuru Health facility. The information collected were demographic information, knowledge on herbal medicines use, accessibility of herbal medicines during breastfeeding. The data collected were then analyzed by Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 21. Results It was observed that majority of the respondents, 200 (53.8%), used herbal medicine. The commonest herbal medicines used was Black pepper 169 (45.4%). The use of herbal medicines in the study area associated with inadequate knowledge on the effect of herbal medicine, accessibility and affordability of herbal medicines. Conclusion The practice of using herbal medicines among breastfeeding mothers has been usual to easier some breastfeeding difficulties and problems. But the issue of safety or effectiveness is still an unknown agenda. This awakens the need to evaluate the safety, efficacy and quality of herbal medicine through randomized clinical trial studies. Lastly, the general public should be well informed about the breastfeeding difficulties and their possible solution of using herbal medicines for improvement of child and maternal health.