Steam sauna and mother roasting in Lao PDR: practices and chemical constituents of essential oils of plant species used in postpartum recovery

Abstract

BackgroundFundamental in traditional postpartum recovery in Lao PDR is the use of hotbeds, mother roasting, steam sauna and steam baths. During these treatments medicinal plants play a crucial role, but little has been published about how the treatments are carried out precisely, which species are used, the medicinal properties of these species, and the medicinal efficacy of their chemical constituents.MethodsSixty-five interviews, in 15 rural villages, with women of 4 different ethnic groups were conducted to survey confinement rituals, and postpartum plant use and salience. Essential oils from the main species used were extracted using steam distillation and the main chemical constituents characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).ResultsA total of 10 different species were used by three or more of the ethnic groups included in this study. All species were used in steam sauna and bath, but only 3 species were used in hotbed and mother roasting. Essential oils of Amomum villosum, Amomum microcarpum and Blumea balsamifera were found to contain significant amounts of the following terpenes: β-pinene, camphor, bornyl acetate, borneol, linalool, D-limonene, fenchone, terpinen-4-ol and α-terpinene.ConclusionsMany of these terpenes have documented antimicrobial and analgesic properties, and some have also synergistic interactions with other terpenes. The mode of application in hotbed and mother roasting differs from the documented mechanisms of action of these terpenes. Plants in these two practices are likely to serve mainly hygienic purposes, by segregating the mother from infection sources such as beds, mats, stools, cloth and towels. Steam sauna medicinal plant use through inhalation of essential oils vapors can possibly have medicinal efficacy, but is unlikely to alleviate the ailments commonly encountered during postpartum convalescence. Steam sauna medicinal plant use through dermal condensation of essential oils, and steam bath cleansing of the perineal area is possibly a pragmatic use of the reported medicinal plants, as terpene constituents have documented antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Volatile constituents ofAmomum maximumRoxb andAmomum microcarpumC. F. Liang & D. Fang: two Zingiberaceae grown in Vietnam

“…The flower oil presented a compositional pattern made up of a-pinene (24.1%), b-pinene (14.1%) and t-muurolol (13.0%). It was noted that the quantities of linalool and nerolidol in the leaves and fruits were much lower when compared with a previous investigation (Boer et al 2014). Moreover, some compounds such as a-pinene, d-3-carene, b-phellandrene, zingiberene and t-muurolol present in this study were not identified in the previous study.…”

“…However, camphene (15.7%), hexadecanoic acid (10.0%) and octadecanoic acid (8.6%) were the main constituents of the root oil. Camphor (23.2% and 34.1%, respectively) and bornyl acetate (14.5% and 17.0%, respectively) were the main constituents of the leaves and fruits of Amomum vilosum (Boer et al, 2014). Moreover, eucalyptol (23.87%) and limonene (22.77%) were the major components of Amomum tsaoko (Wang et al, 2014).…”

“…Furthermore, Amomum microcarpum is a plant that can grow up to 2.5 m tall (Nguyen 2000). It has been traditionally used for the treatment of fever and postpartum bath (Lamxay et al 2011;Boer et al 2014). The main constituents of the essential oils from the leaves and fruits were found to be linalool (40.4% and 25.6%) and nerolidol (22.3% and 49.4%).…”

A Comparison of Practices During the Confinement Period among Chinese, Malay, and Indian Mothers in Singapore

“…Mothers may find it uncomfortable and unhygienic not to bathe during the postpartum period, especially in a tropical climate such as Singapore. Hence mothers who observe traditional confinement practices need to negotiate with their caregiver assistants on alternative solutions, which may include the use of medical herbs added to hot water for their daily baths, a practice that has been adopted in countries such as Laos (35) and China (17). This may serve as a potential compromise for mothers to observe traditional confinement practices while maintaining their general personal hygiene at the same time.…”

Das Potenzial der Sauna im Rahmen der Prävention - eine Übersicht neuerer Erkenntnisse

“…Der Effekt derartiger Zusätze ist wenig untersucht. Zwar wurden antimikrobielle, schmerzlindernde und antientzündliche Effekte beschrieben [40], welche klinische Relevanz diese jedoch besitzen, sollte Gegenstand weiterer Untersuchungen sein. Weitgehend unbestritten ist die positive Wirkung ätherischer Öle auf die Psyche des Menschen, was im Rahmen einer allgemeinen Prävention durchaus von Bedeutung ist.…”