A systematic review of ethnomedicinal plants used for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care in the Philippines

Background: Medicinal plants are still widely used in rural areas of the Philippines. Among the conditions treated with medicinal plants are those related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. This systematic review identified the medicinal plants used for obstetric care in the country. Methods: The study was conducted based on the PRISMA flow diagram, starting with a data search using three databases. The necessary information was extracted from the eligible research papers, and the studies' quality was assessed through a developed quality assessment tool. Results: This study included 38 ethnobotanical studies with 153 plant species used for pregnancy and postpartum care. Most of the studies were conducted in Northern Mindanao, in the Philippines. The most common pregnancy-related indications for the medicinal plants were postpartum care, and postpartum bleeding topped the list. The most common plant family, genus, and species were Fabaceae, Ficus, and Moringa oleifera Lam, respectively. The leaf was the most common single plant part used for pregnancy and postpartum care. Only 80 medicinal plants had toxicologic and teratogenic data. Conclusion: Women from different ethnic groups widely utilized medicinal plants to treat pregnancy-related conditions. Further research on toxicology and teratogenicity is necessary to ensure the safety of their users.