Does herbal medicine intervention improve milk production in puerperal women experiencing insufficient milk supply (IMS)?
What is this research about?
This study of a commonly used, proprietary herbal tea product will examine whether a clinical complementary therapy has a role in improving milk production in puerperal women experiencing insufficient milk supply (IMS).
Inadequate breast milk supply has been identified as a significant issue resulting in the cessation of breastfeeding, with few effective therapies known to benefit women with the problem.
The herbal tea product, Weleda Nursing Tea (WNT), contains Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek seed), Pimpinella anisum (Anise seed), Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel bitter seed), Carum carvi (Caraway seed) and Lippia citriodora (Lemon verbena leaves). These herbs have traditionally been used to support a range of lactation difficulties including IMS .
If the herbal medicine intervention is discovered to be effective in this trial, it is hoped it will be offered as a new therapeutic option to women with IMS and, go to be trialed in a larger study to confirm effectiveness.
This study is especially important for women who experience insufficient lactation and their breastfeeding infants who also stand to benefit from this research. In addition to confirming whether WNT is effective in IMS, this research will help to build an evidence base for complementary therapies.
We expect to commence enrollments into this study in the first quarter of 2016, for further information or to register your interest contact Diana Bowman.