Herbal Products Use During Pregnancy in North of Iran

Objectives: The use of herbs which has been increasing worldwide, requires special considerations particularly in pregnant woman. The present study was conducted at Alzahra Teaching hospital (from March 2016 to August 2017) to explore the pattern of herbal use during pregnancy in Guilan province (North of Iran). Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from 836 eligible women, who were interviewed at postnatal ward, and were analyzed. Results: The results of the study showed that 19.6% of the women consumed herbs during pregnancy. The most commonly used herbs included mint, flixweld, cinnamon; in addition, the most prevalent indications resulted from these herbs consumption were gastrointestinal complications and cold. The rate of herbal consumption in pregnancy was related to education (P = 0.001) and resistance (P = 0.008); however, no relation was found regarding age (P = 0.203), employment (P = 0.255), or gravity (P = 0.935). Conclusions: Although the findings of this study were preferable to those of some other studies, due to the importance of the issue, it is vital that health care providers to be open to question the herbal use during pregnancy.