Plant Use in Ante- and Postpartum Health Care in Lao PDR

An ethnobotanical study, combining systematic botany, pharmacology and anthropology was carried out December 2005 to Mars 2006 in Central and Northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). The study documents the medicinal use of plants in an important and complicated passage of life, childbirth. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in five rural villages among four ethnic groups on the plants employed during the birth process as well as their associated beliefs. Fifty-four different plant species were found to treat 15 conditions occurring during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum stages. The most common uses of plants were to promote maternal health and postpartum recovery of strength, healing and contraction of uterus, and to promote lactation. Other common reports included reduce postpartum haemorrhage, alleviate postpartum abdominal pain and protect or cure the newborn from infections. An ethnobotanical plant collection including 93 genera in 59 families was made from species with medicinal uses in the five villages. In addition 18 species used in traditional steam saunas as a postpartum health procedure for lowland Lao in urban areas are presented and compared to the plants used in the villages.