Galactagogue
A galactagogue (from Greek: γάλα [γαλακτ-], milk, + ἀγωγός, leading) is a substance that promotes lactation in humans and other animals.[1] It may be synthetic, plant-derived, or endogenous.
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[edit] Herbal
The most commonly cited galactagogues are herbal. The most popular of these are:
Others include:
- anise
- astragalus root
- boza
- burdock
- nettle
- fennel
- flax
- oatmeal
- quinoa
- soapwort
- vervain
- red raspberry leaf
- marshmallow (althaea) root
- Torbangun
Herbal galactogogues are divided into those believed to also have a sedating action on the nursing infant due to their volatile constituents, which can be carried through the breast milk itself, and those seen as promoting milk production without directly affecting the content. This often seems to be linked to anethol content.[2]
Torbangun has been used by the Bataknese people of Indonesia as a galactagogue for hundreds of years. An investigation into this traditional usage found that it increased milk volume produced by 65%, compared to 20% for fenugreek seeds.[3]
[edit] Pharmaceutical
The most effective galactagogues are medications, available usually by medical prescription. These include domperidone and metoclopramide. Domperidone, a dopamine antagonist, is not approved for enhanced lactation in the USA.[4][5] It is, however, prescribed in the UK. Some drugs, primarily atypical antipsychotics such as risperidone, may cause lactation in both women and men.
Most of those discovered have been found to interact with the dopamine system in such a way to increase the production of prolactin endogenously.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Merriam-Webster: galactagogue
- ^ Macintyre, A., The Herbal For Mother And Child, ISBN 1852302445
- ^ Damanik R, Wahlqvist ML, Wattanapenpaiboon N (2006). "Lactagogue effects of Torbangun, a Bataknese traditional cuisine". Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 (2): 267–74. PMID 16672214.
- ^ Chantry, Caroline J.; Howard, Cynthia R.; Montgomery, Anne; Wight, Nancy (2004) (PDF). Use of galactogogues in initiating or augmenting maternal milk supply. ABM protocols, Protocol#9. The Academy Of Breastfeeding Medicine. Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070628052457/http://www.bfmed.org/ace-files/protocol/prot9galactogoguesEnglish.pdf. "Supported in part by a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services."
- ^ da Silva OP, Knoppert DC (September 2004). "Domperidone for lactating women". CMAJ 171 (7): 725–6. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1041054. PMC 517853. PMID 15451832. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/171/7/725.
[edit] Further Reading
- Diana West and L. Marasco, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Look up galactagogue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Gabay MP (August 2002). "Galactogogues: medications that induce lactation". J Hum Lact 18 (3): 274–9. PMID 12192964. http://jhl.sagepub.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12192964.
- New Zealand government website
- www.pfaf.org
- www.findarticles.com
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