Caraway Seed Extract and Lactation: in vivo study

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of caraway seed aqueous extract on milk production in female rats and elucidate its bioactive components. We used three groups of six virgin rats and three groups of six lactating rats. We kept each mother rat and her six pups apart. From the third to the seventeenth day of breastfeeding, these groups of animals received distilled water, metoclopramide (5 mg/kg), and aqueous extracts of caraway seed (200 mg/kg) daily by mouth. We used the indirect method, which established a link between the amount of milk nursing rats produced and the weight gain of pups who received no food. We also measure the prolactin levels of female rats who have never been pregnant on specific days. On Day 14, the groups that received caraway seed fluid extracts (200 mg/kg) or metoclopramide (5 mg/kg) showed significantly higher prolactin levels (P > 0.01 and P > 0.001, respectively). Studies have shown that caraway seed significantly increases prolactin levels (P> 0.05) as early as Day 7. Only with (5 mg/kg) of metoclopramide did milk production and pup weight gain go up significantly (P > 0.05). An extract of caraway seed affects prolactin levels in rats, but it does not affect milk production. Further research is necessary to explore the potential therapeutic benefits of caraway seed.