An Investigation into the Use of an Herbal Labor Induction Tincture Containing Black Cohosh, Cramp Bark, Partridgeberry, and Motherwort on Contractile Responses Produced from Isolated Strips of Mouse Uterine Tissues

Clayton Neuenschwander,Katrina Wu,Teresa Degolier

doi:10.5530/pj.2021.13.188

Abstract

An Investigation into the Use of an Herbal Labor Induction Tincture Containing Black Cohosh, Cramp Bark, Partridgeberry, and Motherwort on Contractile Responses Produced from Isolated Strips of Mouse Uterine Tissues

Highlights

Alternative solutions in the form of herbal remedies meant to ease or expedite the process of labor have often been pursued and administered but have seldom been quantitatively tested for efficacy
This study tested an array of herbs used by midwives in a labor induction tincture, which included black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), and motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
This study provides empirical support for the use of these plants as herbal uterotonics, and it is plausible that these results, collected in vitro, may support the use of such a tincture to enhance or augment labor in vivo

Summary

Introduction

Alternative solutions in the form of herbal remedies meant to ease or expedite the process of labor have often been pursued and administered but have seldom been quantitatively tested for efficacy. Methods: This study tested an array of herbs used by midwives in a labor induction tincture, which included black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), and motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). Each of these four herbs were prepared as aqueous extracts and applied individually to uterine tissues in an organ bath apparatus. Complementary and alternative therapies have been used in pregnancy and birth for centuries, by midwives, and interest in their use continues to grow among pregnant people.[8,9,10,11,12] Some patients may opt for these more natural therapeutic modalities for induction in an attempt to avoid any perceived or established adverse effects associated with a medical induction, including a reduced maternal satisfaction, increased labor pain, increased use of analgesia, fetal distress, the need for increased fetal monitoring with potential for accompanying mobility limitations during labor, an increased need for subsequent interventions in labor, and the need to deliver in a hospital setting.[13,14,15]

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Discussion

Conclusion