Lactation induction in Agalactia: A Review of the Ethnomedicinal Use of Raphia Palm Sap and Wine

Background: Agalactia, a common lactation problem in postpartum women and a significant cause of breastfeeding failure, is a public health issue. It is a medical condition that leads to lactation insufficiency or complete failure due to inadequate breast milk production. Pharmacological interventions involve the use of galactogogues such as dopamine antagonists and hormonal therapy. Several medicinal plant extracts have been used to manage many medical conditions, including agalactia. The plant exudates called palm sap and wine obtained from several species of Borassus, Elaeis, Hyphaene, Phoenix, Raphia, Ancistrophyllum, Calamus, Eremospatha, Podococcus, and Sclerosperma are remedies for the management of agalactia in the southern states of Nigeria. This review presents a thorough literature evaluation on research findings on Raphia palm sap and wine and their ethnomedicinal uses as lactation inducers and enhancers of lactogenesis in post-partum and lactating mothers. Methods: Thoroughly crafted queries using an online search of Google Scholar and other bibliographic databases and a careful and rigorous search of published literature were performed using Raphia palm sap and wine ethnomedical uses. Relevant articles were retrieved and used for this review, covering two decades. Review Findings: Empirical evidence from various studies supporting the ethnomedicinal use of palm wine and sap to enhance breast milk flow in post-partum and lactating mothers was widely reported. Experimental studies of the effect of palm wine on the histology of the mammary gland of female Wistar rats showed mammoplastic effects on the postpartum mammary gland and consequently increased the quantity of breastmilk production. Compositionally, there are some similarities between the constituents of breast milk and Raphia palm wine both have basic vitamins and minerals in common, including phosphate, glucose/sugar, potassium, magnesium, calcium, lipids, sodium, chloride, protein, and appear whitish and milky. Raphia palm wine, a piquant drink, was also reported to contain vitamins A, C, E, B1, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, β – ββ-carotene, alcohol, yeast, and water. Conclusion: The ethnomedicinal use of palm sap and wine as a remedy for enhancing lactogenesis in post-partum and lactating mothers is well reported. However, establishing the pharmacological basis to corroborate this position is yet to be elucidated.