Medicinal plants traditionally used to increase breast milk in Turkey: an ethnobotanical review

Introduction: Breast milk is a unique source of nutrition and is qualified to meet the needs of the baby along with its health benefits. This study aims to compile medicinal plants traditionally used to increase breast milk production in Turkey. Methods: The scientific, family, and vernacular names; used parts; methods of preparation and administration were collated by screening ethnobotanical studies. The most cited plant families, the most cited plant taxa, and the most frequently used plant parts in both humans and animals were determined and presented in graphics. Results: In total, 125 taxa belonging to 39 families were determined as being medicinal plants used to increase breast milk, 70 taxa of these are used in humans and 60 taxa are used in animals. The first six plant families with the highest number of plants were found to be Fabaceae (23 taxa), Asteraceae (21 taxa), Apiaceae (13 taxa), Lamiaceae (7 taxa), Rosaceae (5 taxa), and Poaceae (5 taxa). The most frequently cited medicinal plants and their corresponding number of references were Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (14), Anethum graveolens L. (8), Urtica dioica L. (7), Viscum album L. (4), Pimpinella anisum L. (4), and Allium cepa L. (4), respectively. It was found that the leaves were the most commonly used part of the medicinal plants, accounting for 20%. Discussion/Conclusions: Many medicinal plants used for this topic are poorly studied. In addition, the toxicological effects cannot be ruled out. Our findings are expected to contribute to the discovery and development of novel pharmaceuticals.