The Journal of Phytopharmacology 2024; 13(2):114-121 DOI:10.31254/phyto.2024.13205

Review Article

An extensive investigation into the bioactive component of breast milk, lactation, and clinical application of Galactagogues: A review

Sury Pratap Singh¹ , Srishti Santosh Mukadam² , Abhishek Bisht¹

Sury Pratap Singh,Srishti Santosh Mukadam,Abhishek Bisht

1. Department of Food Technology, School of Allied Sciences, Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University, Naugaon, Dehradun, Uttarakhand- 248007, India
2. Department of Food Technology, Parul Institute of Applied Sciences, Parul University, Waghodia, Vadodara, Gujarat- 391760, India

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 23rd February, 2024 / Accepted: 9th April, 2024 / Published : 30th April, 2024

Abstract

Nowadays, people are becoming more and more conscious of the link between nutrition, diet, and health. This bond is established from birth. In addition to being thought of as the finest nutrition for a newborn to preserve its physical and nutritional well-being, breastfeeding is usually seen as the best choice for a baby during the early stages of life. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises breastfeeding exclusively for six months, after which the mother and child may decide to continue nursing in addition to introducing supplemental meals for the remainder of the baby's first year or beyond. Since breast milk includes a variety of bioactive ingredients, including proteins, vitamins, nucleotides, oligosaccharides, immunoglobulin, and some minerals, it is often regarded as the major nutritional supply for babies. A crucial opportunity for intervention to improve breastfeeding success is when inadequate supply of breast milk is often identified as the primary reason for early breastfeeding cessation. When non-drug breastfeeding support approaches fail to improve a persistently poor milk production, mothers frequently turn to drugs called galactagogues for assistance. Galactagogues function by interfering with the complex hormonal balance that controls breastfeeding, specifically with regard to prolactin and oxytocin. The available data about the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological treatments for lactation insufficiency is assessed in this narrative review. The majority of research has focused on the use of domperidone, and studies have indicated that there are modest short-term improvements for breast milk production. While there is less evidence supporting metoclopramide safety and efficacy than there is for domperidone, metoclopramide functions similarly to domperidone, thus in the event that domperidone is ineffective, it may be a good alternative for therapy. Lack of information on alternative medicines, such as metformin, oxytocin, prolactin, and herbal remedies, renders their clinical usage unreasonable. The study points out important gaps in the data and makes recommendations for possible future research topics related to galactagogues' impact on nursing.