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Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil

Background: Despite the lack of evidence supporting the safety and clinical efficacy of herbal medicine (HM), its use among pregnant women continues to increase. Given the high prevalence of contraindicated herbs among the pregnant population in Brazil, it is crucial to examine the use of HM and eva...

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Autores principales: Im, Hyea Bin, Ghelman, Ricardo, Portella, Caio Fábio Schlechta, Hwang, Jung Hye, Choi, Dain, Kunwor, Sangita Karki, Moraes, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo, Han, Dongwoon
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10546009/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37795036
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1268185
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author Im, Hyea Bin
Ghelman, Ricardo
Portella, Caio Fábio Schlechta
Hwang, Jung Hye
Choi, Dain
Kunwor, Sangita Karki
Moraes, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo
Han, Dongwoon
author_facet Im, Hyea Bin
Ghelman, Ricardo
Portella, Caio Fábio Schlechta
Hwang, Jung Hye
Choi, Dain
Kunwor, Sangita Karki
Moraes, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo
Han, Dongwoon
author_sort Im, Hyea Bin
collection PubMed
description Background: Despite the lack of evidence supporting the safety and clinical efficacy of herbal medicine (HM), its use among pregnant women continues to increase. Given the high prevalence of contraindicated herbs among the pregnant population in Brazil, it is crucial to examine the use of HM and evaluate its safety based on the current scientific literature to ensure that women are using HM appropriately. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023 at a public teaching hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 333 postpartum women in the postnatal wards and postnatal clinic were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The survey instrument consisted of 51 items covering the use of HM during pregnancy, sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, COVID-19 experiences, and pregnancy outcomes. For data analysis, chi-square and multivariate logistic regression were conducted using SPSS ver. 26.0. Results: Approximately 20% of respondents reported using HM during their most recent pregnancy, with a higher use observed among women from ethnic minority groups and those with prior HM experience. Among the 20 medicinal herbs identified, 40% were found to be contraindicated or recommended for use with caution during pregnancy. However, only half of the women discussed their HM use with obstetric care providers. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the continued public health concern regarding the use of contraindicated or potentially harmful HM among pregnant women in Brazil, highlighting the need for sustained efforts to reduce the risk of inappropriate HM use. By updating antenatal care guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, healthcare providers can make informed clinical decisions and effectively monitor pregnant women’s HM use, ultimately promoting safer and more effective healthcare practices.
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spelling pubmed-105460092023-10-04 Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil Im, Hyea Bin Ghelman, Ricardo Portella, Caio Fábio Schlechta Hwang, Jung Hye Choi, Dain Kunwor, Sangita Karki Moraes, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo Han, Dongwoon Front Pharmacol Pharmacology Background: Despite the lack of evidence supporting the safety and clinical efficacy of herbal medicine (HM), its use among pregnant women continues to increase. Given the high prevalence of contraindicated herbs among the pregnant population in Brazil, it is crucial to examine the use of HM and evaluate its safety based on the current scientific literature to ensure that women are using HM appropriately. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to January 2023 at a public teaching hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 333 postpartum women in the postnatal wards and postnatal clinic were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The survey instrument consisted of 51 items covering the use of HM during pregnancy, sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, COVID-19 experiences, and pregnancy outcomes. For data analysis, chi-square and multivariate logistic regression were conducted using SPSS ver. 26.0. Results: Approximately 20% of respondents reported using HM during their most recent pregnancy, with a higher use observed among women from ethnic minority groups and those with prior HM experience. Among the 20 medicinal herbs identified, 40% were found to be contraindicated or recommended for use with caution during pregnancy. However, only half of the women discussed their HM use with obstetric care providers. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the continued public health concern regarding the use of contraindicated or potentially harmful HM among pregnant women in Brazil, highlighting the need for sustained efforts to reduce the risk of inappropriate HM use. By updating antenatal care guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, healthcare providers can make informed clinical decisions and effectively monitor pregnant women’s HM use, ultimately promoting safer and more effective healthcare practices. Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-09-19 /pmc/articles/PMC10546009/ /pubmed/37795036 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1268185 Text en Copyright © 2023 Im, Ghelman, Portella, Hwang, Choi, Kunwor, Moraes and Han. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Pharmacology
Im, Hyea Bin
Ghelman, Ricardo
Portella, Caio Fábio Schlechta
Hwang, Jung Hye
Choi, Dain
Kunwor, Sangita Karki
Moraes, Sandra Dircinha Teixeira de Araújo
Han, Dongwoon
Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title_full Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title_fullStr Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title_short Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil
title_sort assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in são paulo, brazil
topic Pharmacology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10546009/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37795036
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1268185
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